THE  LADY  OF 
NORTH  STAR 


BOOKS  BY 

OTWELL  BINNS 

A  MATING  IN  THE  WILDS 
THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 


THE     LADY     OF 
NORTH    STAR 

BY 

OTTWELL   BINNS 


NEW  YORK    ALFRED  •  A  -  KNOPF    MCMXXII 


COPYRIGHT,   1922,  BY 
ALFRED  A.  KNOPF,  INC. 


FEINTED  IN   THE   UNITED   STATES    OF  AMEBIOA 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER 

I  THE  END  OF  A  TRAIL,  i 

II  A  STRANGE  DISAPPEARANCE,  12 

III  THE  CORPORAL  FINDS  A  LETTER,  24 

IV  A  PUZZLING  SCENT,  35 
V  A  REVELATION,  45 

VI  THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  A  STORY,  58 

VII  JOY  MAKES  A  REQUEST,  71 

VIII  KOONA  DICK,  80 

IX  THE  HUSKS  OF  THE  PRODIGAL,  92 

X  A  DESPERATE   SITUATION,    106 

XI  AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE,  116 

XII  A  DASTARDLY  DEED,  129 

XIII  Two  PROPOSALS,  140 

XIV  MISSING,  154 

XV  AN  ENCOUNTER  AT  THE  LODGE,  164 

XVI  THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  NEWS,  174 

XVII  A  LONELY  CABIN,  186 

XVIII  ADRIAN  RAYNER'S  STORY,  199 


2134530 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER 

XIX  HUSBAND  AND  WIFE,  210 

XX  DICK  BRACKNELL  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH,  221 

XXI  UNDER  COVER  OF  NIGHT,  235 

XXII  To  THE  RESCUE,  245 

XXIII  PRISONERS,  258 

XXIV  THE  PRODIGAL  MAKES  GOOD,  269 
XXV  A  SNOW-BLIND  MAN,  279 


THE  LADY  OF 
NORTH  STAR 


CHAPTER  I 
THE  END  OF  A  TRAIL 

THERE  was  a  smell  of  burning  spruce  in  the 
sharp  air,  and  Corporal  Bracknell,  of  the 
North-west  Mounted  Police,  threw  back 
his  head  and  sniffed  it  gratefully.     His  team  of 
dogs  had  been  conscious  of  it  for  some  time,  and 
now,  quickening  the  pace,  they  broke  into  joyous 
yelps  as  they  turned  inward  towards  the  Saskatoon 
bushes  on  the  left  bank  of  the  frozen  river.     The 
corporal  smiled  to  himself. 

"They're  wise  dogs,"  he  muttered,  ubut  not  wise 
enough  to  know  the  trail's  end.  I  wonder  if  I  shall 
find  the  man  here." 

He  followed  the  well-marked  track  towards 
the  bank.  The  aromatic  smell  of  the  spruce  grew 
stronger,  but  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  save 
the  shadowy  woods,  and  the  packed  sled-road  be- 
tween. The  road  had  been  cut  through  the  trees, 
and  here  and  there  a  stump  bearing  the  mark  of 
the  ax  protruded  above  the  snow.  For  perhaps 
three  hundred  yards  it  ran  in  a  bee-line  between 
the  tall  trunks,  and  then  turned  abruptly  to  the 
right.  He  reached  the  turning,  and  looked  about 
him  curiously.  The  road  still  continued,  but  the 
end  of  it  was  not  in  sight,  for  again  it  turned,  as  it 
seemed  to  him  into  the  very  heart  of  the  forest. 

to 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"There's  a  house  or  encampment  somewhere 
about,"  he  said  to  himself,  "but — " 

He  broke  off  abruptly  as  something  caught  his 
eye.  It  was  a  new-marked  sled-trail  debouching 
from  the  main  track,  and  he  stooped  to  examine 
it  carefully.  When  he  straightened  himself  there 
was  an  eager  light  in  his  eye,  and  curbing  his  im- 
patient dogs  he  stood  considering  for  a  full  two 
minutes. 

"He  may  have  a  shack  here,"  so  his  thoughts  ran, 
"but  if  there's  more  than  that,  why  this  broad 
road?" 

He  considered  the  avenue  made  by  the  sombre 
pine-woods  on  each  side  of  the  road,  and  then  shook 
his  head.  "Too  much  style  for  Koona  Dick. 
There  must  be  a  homestead  somewhere  about,  but 
if  those  are  not  the  marks  of  his  sled-runners  I'm 
a  dutchman." 

He  spoke  a  word  or  two  to  his  well-trained  dogs, 
and  slipping  off  his  snow-shoes  turned  towards  the 
trail  which  led  into  the  wood,  and  began  to  follow 
it  carefully.  As  he  walked,  he  unbuttoned  the  pis- 
tol-holster at  his  waist,  and  gripped  the  handle  of 
the  weapon  in  preparation  for  action.  The  man 
whose  trail  he  believed  that  he  was  following  was 
not  given  to  being  over-scrupulous.  He  had  pur- 
sued him  for  nearly  four  hundred  miles,  and  now 
that  the  end  of  the  chase  was  in  sight,  it  behoved  him 
to  be  cautious,  for  if  Koona  Dick  suspected  his 
presence  his  resentment  of  it  might  even  go  to  the 
extreme  length  of  a  rifle  bullet.  He  left  the  trail, 
and  began  to  move  cautiously  from  tree  to  tree. 
The  short  Northland  day  was  almost  over. 

[2] 


THE  END  OF  A  TRAIL 

Dusk  was  coming  on  apace,  and  the  gloom  under 
the  trees  deepened,  little  misgivings  awake  in  his 
mind. 

Was  it  wise  to  follow  the  track  into  the  heart 
of  the  wood?  His  dogs  were  good  dogs,  but — 

The  sudden  sharp  crash  of  a  rifle  echoed 
through  the  stillness,  followed  immediately  by  a 
second,  and  that  by  the  sharp  cry  of  a  woman  as- 
sailed by  mortal  terror,  and  then  there  came  the 
quick  yelp  of  dogs.  He  turned  in  his  tracks  and 
began  to  run  back  under  the  trees. 

How  long  it  was  before  he  reached  the  main 
trail  he  never  knew,  but  never  in  his  life  had  he 
run  so  fast  before.  Fear  was  pounding  at  his 
heart.  His  dogs?  If  they  were  gone — 

He  reached  the  edge  of  the  wood  to  find  them 
still  where  he  had  left  them,  and  his  relief  found 
expression  in  a  quick  "Thank  God!"  He  looked 
round  him,  up  and  down  the  road  and  into  the 
dark  woods  on  either  hand.  There  was  nothing 
to  be  seen,  and  the  coming  of  night  had  already 
shortened  the  range  of  vision.  He  stood  listen- 
ing intently.  No  sound  broke  the  awful  silence 
that  had  followed  the  shots  and  the  curdling  cry 
of  fear.  His  hand,  resting  on  the  gee-pole  of  the 
sled,  shook  a  little. 

"It  was  a  woman,"  he  whispered,  "a  white 
woman,  at  that.  There's  some  infernal  mystery 
about.  I  wonder  if  K,oona  Dick — " 

He  did  not  finish  the  thought.  Setting  his  face 
to  the  turn  in  the  road,  he  gave  the  dogs  the  word 
and  they  moved  forward.  Somewhere  at  the  end 
of  the  road  there  was  a  human  habitation.  Of 

[3] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

that  he  was  convinced.  He  would  find  it,  and  per- 
haps at  the  same  time  find  Koona  Dick  and  the 
solution  of  that  mysterious  cry  which  had  so  sud- 
denly startled  the  silent  woods. 

But  he  was  not  destined  to  reach  the  end  of  the 
road  without  further  adventure.  As  he  reached 
the  turn  he  became  aware  of  a  narrow  road  on 
the  left  hand  cut  at  right  angles  from  the  main 
track,  and  as  he  looked  down  it,  saw  a  shadowy 
figure  moving  swiftly  between  the  trees  straight 
towards  him.  Against  the  fading  light  and  the 
white  background  of  snow  he  made  out  the  form 
of  a  woman,  and  instantly  halted  his  dogs  with 
the  intention  of  speaking  to  her.  She  was  per- 
haps five  and  twenty  yards  away  when  he  first  saw 
her,  and  the  distance  between  them  she  covered 
at  a  run,  approaching  him  apparently  without  see- 
ing him.  Her  line  of  progression  brought  her 
within  four  yards  of  the  place  where  he  stood 
waiting  in  the  shadow  of  a  giant  spruce.  Still  she 
did  not  see  him,  and  he  was  about  to  make  his 
presence  known,  when  the  sight  of  her  face 
checked  him. 

It  was  a  young  face,  and  beautiful,  but  as  he 
saw  it,  it  was  a  picture  of  incarnate  terror.  The 
eyes  were  staring  as  in  horror.  There  was  a 
stony  look  about  the  cameo-like  features,  and  he 
caught  the  gasping  intake  of  breath  as  she  passed 
him.  He  had  seen  terror  in  feminine  faces  be- 
fore, once  when  a  drunken  half-breed  had  lifted  a 
knife  to  slay,  and  once  on  the  face  of  an  Indian 
girl,  swept  towards  the  White  Horse  Rapids  on 
the  Yukon  in  a  frail  canoe,  and  he  had  no  doubt 


THE  END  OF  A  TRAIL 

whatever  as  to  the  emotion  which  found  expres- 
sion in  that  stonily  beautiful  face.  The  girl  was 
badly  frightened.  H.e  was  quite  certain  of  that, 
and  the  fact  of  her  passing  both  himself  and  his 
team  without  observing  them  was  further  evi- 
dence that  she  was  in  great  stress  of  mind.  As 
she  hurried  by  'something  in  her  hand  caught  his 
eye.  It  was  a  rifle  carried  at  the  trail. 

For  a  moment  he  stood  there  undecided  what 
to  do.  Once  he  made  as  if  to  follow  the  girl,  and 
then  checking  himself  again,  stood  considering. 
Those  two  shots  which  he  had  heard — what  did 
they  mean?  They  had  sounded  quite  close,  and 
now  there  came  this  girl,  clearly  badly  frightened, 
carrying  a  rifle  and  hurrying  from  the  wood.  He 
looked  up  the  narrow  path  between  the  gloomy 
pines,  his  trained  mind  and  his  instincts  working 
together.  Something  had  occurred  in  the  wood, 
something  tragical,  or  it  had  not  brought  that 
look  on  the  girl's  face.  What  was  it? 

Tired  as  he  was  with  the  day's  travel,  and  cer- 
tain though  he  was-  of  the  nearness  of  some  house 
of  rest,  he  could  not  leave  the  problem  unsolved. 
For  the  moment  he  even  forgot  Koona  Dick,  and 
again  leaving  his  dogs  he  turned  into  the  path 
from  which  the  girl  had  emerged.  He  moved 
cautiously,  with  the  service  pistol  in  his  hand.  He 
did  not  know  what  to  expect,  and  he  was  not  in- 
clined to  be  caught  unprepared.  Once,  as  he 
walked  in  the  darkness  of  the  trees,  he  paused, 
iand  throwing  back  the  ear-flaps  of  his  fur- 
cap,  stood  listening.  No  sound  reached  him, 
though  a  moment  before  he  had  caught  a  noise 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

which  had  seemed  like  the  snapping  of  a  dry  twig. 
Thinking  he  must  have  been  mistaken,  he  resumed 
his  way.  As  he  did  so,  a  shadowy  form  behind 
him  slid  from  one  tree  trunk  to  another;  and  as  he 
progressed  the  form  in  the  wood  followed,  evi- 
dently stalking  him. 

Corporal  Bracknell,  however,  remained  uncon- 
scious of  the  shadow,  and  moving  quickly  but  si- 
lently on  his  way,  came  suddenly  upon  something 
which  brought  him  to  an  abrupt  halt.  In  the 
snow  not  three  yards  from  where  he  stood  lay  the 
huddled  form  of  a  man.  For  a  moment  he  stared 
at  it  as  if  fascinated,  and  as  the  man  did  not  move, 
when  the  moment  had  passed  he  stepped  swiftly 
forward,  and  bent  over  the  inanimate  form.  The 
man  was  lying  on  his  side,  and  a  dark  stain  in  the 
snow  the  corporal  divined  was  blood.  Appar- 
ently the  man  was  dead,  and  as  it  was  now  too 
dark  to  see  his  face,  the  corporal  felt  in  his  pouch 
and  produced  a  tin  box  of  sulphur  matches. 
Striking  one,  he  waited  until  the  sulphur  had  fin- 
ished spluttering,  and  when  the  wood  was  fairly 
alight,  he  bent  over  the  prostrate  form,  shading 
the  match  with  his  hands  so  as  to  throw  the  light 
upon  the  man's  face.  Then  suddenly  he  dropped 
the  match  and  stood  upright. 

"Koona  Dick!"  he  muttered,  and  then  whistled 
softly  to  himself. 

He  struck  another  match  and  looked  again  in 
order  to  make  sure.  As  for  the  second  time  the 
flickering  light  fell  on  the  face  in  the  snow,  every 
doubt  vanished.  The  man  who  was  lying  there 
was  the  man  whom  he  had  followed  for  four  hun- 


THE  END  OF  A  TRAIL 

dred  miles  through  the  waste,  the  man  whom  he 
had  hoped  to  make  his  prisoner,  but  who  now,  if 
appearances  were  to  be  trusted,  had  finally  escaped 
him.  Dropping  the  match  as  it  burned  towards 
the  end,  he  thrust  his  hand  inside  the  man's  fur 
parka  to  feel  if  the  heart  were  beating.  He  could 
detect  no  movement,  and  as  he  withdrew  the  hand, 
he  stood  upright,  and  as  he  considered  question 
after  question  went  through  his  mind  at  the  gallop. 

Who  had  killed  Koona  Dick?  The  girl  whom 
he  had  met  with  that  look  of  frozen  terror  on  her 
face?  Who  was  she?  Had  she  shot  the  man  lying 
at  his  feet?  Why  had  she  done  so?  Where  did 
she  live?  As  the  last  question  shot  in  his  mind 
he  knew  that  the  answer  to  it  was  in  his  grasp. 
He  had  seen  the  direction  she  had  followed,  and 
he  guessed  that  whatever  homestead  lay  at  the 
end  of  that  road  cut  through  the  forest  would  be 
her  dwelling  place.  As  this  conviction  surged 
into  his  mind  the  whining  of  his  dogs  came  to  his 
ears.  They  were  evidently  growing  restless,  and 
sin'ce  he  could  do  nothing  by  lingering  there,  after 
one  glance  at  the  still  form  lying  in  the  snow,  he 
swung  on  his  heel,  and  made  all  speed  back  to 
where  his  team  awaited  him.  They  yelped  with 
Delight  as  he  appeared,  and  when  he  gave  the 
word,  bounded  impatiently  forward  along  the  well- 
beaten  track. 

Four  minutes  later,  a  turn  in  the  road  unex- 
pectedly brought  into  view  the  homestead  that  he 
was  seeking.  It  was  set  in  the  midst  of  a  large 
clearing,  and  from  its  outline  in  the  darkness  was 
of  considerable  proportions  for  a  Northland  lodge. 

[7] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Lights  shone  in  three  of  the  windows,  and  just 
as  he  reached  the  wooden  fence  which  ran  round 
the  house,  a  door  opened,  and  a  light  within 
streaming  through  outlined  the  form  of  a  man  in 
the  act  of  entering. 

Corporal  Bracknell  shouted  to  him,  and  the  man 
turned  round  and  peered  into  the  darkness,  then 
he  rested  something  against  the  wooden  wall  of 
the  passage,  shut  the  door,  and  moved  towards 
the  policeman. 

"Who  are  you?"  he  asked,  as  he  came  nearer. 

"Corporal  Bracknell — on  Dominion  service," 
replied  the  policeman. 

"Corporal  Bracknell?" 

As  the  man  echoed  the  words  the  corporal  caught 
a  puzzled  note  in  his  tones,  and  explained  further. 

"Yes,  of  the  Mounted  Police." 

"Oh,  of  course  I  I  was  not  thinking  of  the 
Mounted  service.  I  am  a  stranger  in  the  Nor'- 
West — "  Bracknell  had  already  divined  that  such 
must  be  the  case,  but  he  did  not  say  so.  He  laughed 
lightly,  and  made  his  wants  known. 

"I'm  on  service,  and  tired.  I  should  be  grateful 
for  supper  and  a  bunk  if  that  is  possible." 

"It  is  quite  possible,  Officer,  and  Joy — I  mean 
Miss  Gargrave  will  be  very  glad  to  oblige  you. 
She  is  always  pleased  to  play  the  Good  Samaritan." 

As  the  man  spoke  the  name,  the  corporal  remem- 
bered that  he  had  heard  it  before.  It  had  been 
borne  by  an  eccentric  Englishman,  who  had  been 
reported  enormously  wealthy  and  who  had  perished 
rather  tragically  on  the  Klondyke,  three  years  be- 
fore, and  the  mystery  of  whose  death  had  never 

[8] 


THE  END  OF  A  TRAIL 

been  cleared  up,  satisfactorily.  He  knew  now 
where  he  was. 

"This  is  the  North  Star  Lodge,  then?"  he  in- 
quired. 

"Yes!"  was  the  reply.  "Will  you  go  in  now 
and  attend  to  your  team  afterwards,  or — " 

"In  my  service,"  laughed  Bracknell,  "the  dogs 
come  first." 

"Very  well,"  answered  the  other.  "I  will  wait 
for  you!" 

He  lit  a  cigarette  and  watched  the  corporal 
whilst  he  loosed  the  dogs  from  the  traces,  and 
fed  them  with  frozen  fish.  The  light  from  the 
window  fell  on  his  face  and  showed  that  he  was 
less  interested  in  the  operation  than  in  the  man 
engaged  upon  it,  for  never  for  a  moment  did  his 
eyes  leave  the  officer,  and  there  was  a  ruminative 
look  in  them,  as  if  he  were  speculating  what  man- 
ner of  man  the  policeman  was.  The  corporal  was 
quite  conscious  of  the  stare,  but  gave  no  sign  of  it, 
though  once  or  twice  as  he  moved  about,  he  flashed 
a  glance  at  the  stranger,  endeavouring  in  his  turn  to 
take  the  other's  measure.  When  he  had  finished 
his  task  he  turned  to  him. 

"I  am  ready  now." 

"So  am  I,"  laughed  the  man;  "it  is  cold  waiting 
about." 

He  threw  his  cigarette  away,  and  moved  towards 
the  door  of  the  house.  Corporal  Bracknell  fol- 
lowed him,  and  as  the  door  opened  his  guide  stum- 
bled over  something  which  fell  with  a  clatter  on 
the  pinewood  floor. 

The  man  stooped  and  picked  it  up. 

[9] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"My  rifle,"  he  explained.  "I  had  forgotten  it 
was  there.  I  rested  it  against  the  wall  when  you 
hailed  me." 

The  corporal  nodded,  but  made  no  remark. 
His  thoughts  were  engaged  with  Koona  Bill  lying 
out  there  under  the  shadow  of  the  pines,  and  he 
was  wondering  what  the  meeting  with  Joy  Gar- 
grave  would  be  like,  guessing  as  he  did  that  she 
must  be  the  girl  who  had  passed  him  out  in  the 
wood.  His  companion  conducted  him  to  a  room 
that  for  the  Northland  was  positively  luxurious, 
and  waved  him  a  chair  near  the  stove. 

"You  will  like  to  change  your  socks  and  mocca- 
sins," he  said  politely.  "I  will  go  and  inform  Miss 
Gargrave,  and  return  for  you  in  ten  minutes  or  so. 
It  should  be  almost  dinner  time." 

Corporal  Bracknell  nodded,  and  when  the  man 
had  departed  looked  round  the  room  with  some 
curiosity.  Nowhere  in  the  wild  region  where  his 
work  was  done  was  there  another  such  room,  he 
was  sure.  Even  the  commandant's  rooms  down 
at  the  Post  were  poor  beside  it.  The  furniture 
was  of  excellent  quality.  The  wall  was  match- 
boarded,  hiding  the  outer  logs,  and  there  were  furs 
everywhere.  Pictures  too!  Something  familiar  in 
one  of  them  caught  his  eye,  and  moving  towards 
it  he  saw  that  it  was  a  photograph  of  Newham  Col- 
lege, Cambridge. 

He  stood  looking  at  it,  whistling  softly  to  him- 
self. He  himself  had  been  at  Caius,  and  having  a 
sister  at  Newham,  had  once  or  twice  had  tea  in 
its  precincts.  He  wondered  what  the  picture  was 
doing  here  in  this  lodge  in  the  northern  wilderness, 
and  he  was  still  wondering  when  a  gong  sounded. 

[10] 


THE  END  OF  A  TRAIL 

Hastily  he  began  to  change  his  socks,  and  the  op- 
eration was  scarcely  completed,  when  the  man  who 
had  introduced  him  to  the  house  appeared. 

"Ready,  Corporal?" 

"Almost,"  he  replied,  and  half  a  minute  later 
stood  up  and  nodded. 

"This  way,"  said  the  other  laconically,  and  led 
the  way  out  of  the  room  and  across  the  wide  pas- 
sage. The  policeman  was  prepared  for  surprises, 
but  the  appearance  of  the  room  into  which  he  en- 
tered almost  took  his  breath  away.  Except  for 
the  roaring  Yukon  stove,  and  the  fur  rugs  on  the 
polished  floor,  it  was  a  replica  of  the  typical  dining- 
room  of  an  English  country  house.  The  furniture 
was  Jacobean,  the  table  was  laid  with  the  whitest 
napery,  and  silver  and  glasses  gleamed  on  its  white- 
ness. He  had  a  quick  apprehension  of  oil-paint- 
ings on  the  wall,  of  a  long-cased  clock  in  the  corner, 
and  of  two  girls  standing  together  near  the  stove, 
then  his  companion's  voice  sounded. 

"Corporal  Bracknell!  Miss  Gargrave!  Miss 
La  Farge." 

He  bowed  to  the  two  ladies  in  turn.  The  sec- 
ond he  knew  as  he  glanced  at  her  was  of  French 
Canadian  extraction,  with  perhaps  a  dash  of  Indian 
blood  in  her  veins;  but  the  first  was  a  golden-haired 
English  girl,  tall,  blue-eyed,  with  face  a  little 
bronzed  by  the  open-air,  and — the  girl  who  had 
passed  him  with  her  face  the  index  of  mortal  terror 
and  her  rifle  at  the  trail.  It  was  she  who  spoke  in 
a  voice  that  had  the  indescribable  accent  of  culture. 

"We  are  pleased  to  see  you,  Corporal  Bracknell. 
No  doubt,  if  you  have  been  long  on  the  trail,  you 
will  be  ready  for  dinner." 


CHAPTER  II 
A  STRANGE  DISAPPEARANCE 

FEELING  like  a  man  in  a  dream,  the  corporal 
took  his  seat  at  the  table,  and  when  the  soup 
was  served  by  an  Indian  youth,  he  was  too 
much  amazed  to  attempt  conversation.  Miss  Gar- 
grave  looked  at  him  and  casually  asked,  "You  have 
never  been  to  North  Star  before,  Mr.  Bracknell?" 

"No,"  he  answered,  shaking  his  head.  "I  am 
new  to  this  district.  I  was  transferred  from  Ed- 
monton four  months  ago." 

"Then  you  did  not  know  of  our  existence?" 

The  corporal  smiled.  "I  had  heard  something 
of  it;  but  the  truth  is  I  had  forgotten  all  about  it." 

The  girl  nodded.  "I  can  understand  that.  We 
are  so  far  out  of  the  track  of  things  that  it  is  easy 
for  the  world  to  forget  us." 

Bracknell  would  have  liked  to  ask  why  such  as 
she  should  continue  to  live  in  the  wilderness;  but  he 
repressed  his  curiosity,  and  looking  round  smiled 
again. 

"Your  solitude  is  not  without  its  amenities.  I 
did  not  think  there  was  such  a  room  as  this  any- 
where in  the  north.  It  reminds  one  of  home!" 

"You  are  English,  of  course?"  she  asked. 

"Yes,"  he  answered.  "I  come  from  Kendal,  in 
Westmorland." 

"Kendal?"  There  was  an  accent  of  surprise 
in  her  voice. 


A  STRANGE  DISAPPEARANCE 

"You  know  Kendal?"  he  inquired  quickly. 

"Yes,"  she  answered.  "I  have  stayed  in  the 
neighbourhood.  Are  you  any  relation  of  Sir  James 
Bracknell  of  Harrowfell?" 

"My  uncle  and  guardian,"  he  smilingly  replied. 

Joy  Gargrave  looked  at  him  thoughtfully.  "I 
have  met  your  uncle,"  she  said  slowly.  "I  should 
scarcely  have  looked  for  his  nephew  in  the  Mounted 
Police." 

"Why  not?"  he  demanded,  with  a  laugh.  "The 
Force  is  a  packet  of  surprises.  My  sergeant  at  Ed- 
monton was  the  heir  to  an  Irish  peerage,  and  I 
know  a  trooper  down  at  Alberta  who  is  the  second 
son  of  a  marquis." 

"But  Sir  James!"  she  murmured.  "He  did  not 
seem  to  me  the  sort  of  man  who  would  approve — " 

"He  does  not  know,"  interrupted  the  corporal. 

"It  is  very  likely  that  he  would  not  approve  if  he 
did.  But  that  does  not  greatly  matter;  as  before 
I  came  out  here  we  quarrelled,  and  the  relations  be- 
tween us  are  likely  to  continue  strained." 

"Is  it  permissible  to  ask  the  cause  of  this  quar- 
rel?" inquired  the  man  on  the  other  side  of  the 
table,  whose  name  the  corporal  had  not  yet  learned. 

Bracknell  frowned  at  the  directness  of  the  ques- 
tion and  was  about  to  administer  a  snub,  when  he 
caught  Miss  Gargrave's  eyes  fixed  upon  him  expect- 
antly. He  laughed  shortly  as  he  replied,  "Well, 
Mr.— ar— " 

"Rayner  is  my  name,"  said  the  other.  "I  for- 
got I  had  not  introduced  myself." 

The  corporal  nodded.  "I  was  about  to  say,  Mi". 
Rayner,  that  it  is  a  private  matter;  but  there  can 

[13] 


;THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

be  no  harm  in  saying  that  my  uncle  had  a  matri- 
monial scheme  for  me  of  which  I  did  not  approve, 
so  here  I  am." 

He  laughed  to  hide  his  embarrassment  of  which 
he  was  conscious,  and  looked  at  Miss  Gargrave  to 
whom  the  explanation  had  really  been  offered. 
There  was  a  thoughtful  look  upon  her  face. 

"Sir  James  is  rather  dictatorial,"  she  said,  and 
then  turned  the  conversation.  "Do  you  like  the 
service?" 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply,  given  wholeheartedly.  "It 
is  a  man's  work,  and  the  open-air  life,  with  all  the 
many  hazards  of  the  North,  is  infinitely  preferable 
to  stewing  in  chambers  waiting  for  briefs;  or  devil- 
ling the  K.C.  who  wants  to  keep  all  the  crumbs  on 
his  own  table." 

The  girl  nodded.  "I  can  understand  that,"  she 
commented,  and  for  a  moment  she  sat  there  crum- 
bling her  bread. 

The  thoughtful  look  on  her  face  was  accentuated. 
Remembering  what  he  had  seen  there  when  she 
had  passed  him  in  the  road,  the  corporal  found 
himself  wondering  if  there  was  any  connection  be- 
tween the  two.  Then  Miss  Gargrave  spoke  again. 

"I  suppose  you  are  in  this  neighbourhood  on  pro- 
fessional business?" 

"Yes,"  he  answered  readily  enough.  "I  have 
been  following  a  man  for  a  month  and  have  trailed 
him  something  like  four  hundred  miles." 

"That  is  a  long  journey  in  winter,"  said  the  girl 
a  trifle  absently. 

Corporal  Bracknell  smiled.  "Nothing  to  boast 
of.  There  have  been  many  longer  trails  in  the 

[HI 


A  STRANGE  DISAPPEARANCE 

Territory  by  our  men.  Did  you  ever  hear  how 
Constable  Pedley  took  the  lunatic  missionary  from 
Fort  Chipewayn  to  Saskatchewan  down  the  Atha- 
basca River  in  the  very  depth  of  winter?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  girl.  "That  was  an  epic. 
The  constable  lost  his  own  reason  in  the  end,  didn't 
he?" 

Bracknell  nodded.  "Yes,  but  he's  better  again 
now;  though  naturally  that  experience  has  set  its 
mark  on  him.  And  if  I  had  got  my  man  my  re- 
turn journey  would  have  been  much  harder  than 
the  journey  up,  as  I  should  have  had  to  look  after 
him;  and  sleep  with  one  eye  open  all  the  time." 

"You  speak  as  if  you  had  lost  your  man,"  said 
Rayner.  "Is  that  so?" 

"Yes,  I  have  lost  him  finally,"  answered  the  cor- 
poral slowly. 

"Who  was  he?  What  had  he  done?  Was  he 
a  very  desperate  character?"  inquired  Miss  Gar- 
grave,  and  to  the  corporal  as  he  turned  to  her  it 
seemed  as  if  there  was  a  look  of  troubled  expectancy 
in  her  face. 

"He  was  an  Englishman,"  answered  Bracknell 
quietly,  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  beautiful  face.  "I  do 
not  know  that  he  was  a  particularly  desperate  char- 
acter, but  he  certainly  was  not  scrupulous,  and  he 
was  suspected  of  selling  whiskey  to  the  Indians  in 
the  reservation,  which  is  a  serious  offence  in  the 
Territory." 

"What  name?"  asked  Miss  La  Farge. 

"His  proper  name  I  do  not  know,  but  he  has 

been  known  through  the  North  as  Koona  Dick!" 

As  he  gave  the  name  he  saw  Joy  Gargrave's  face 

[15] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

grow  white,  and  the  trouble  in  her  eyes  was  plain. 
Also,  with  the  tail  of  his  eye,  he  saw  Mr.  Rayner 
start  violently,  and  guessed  that  both  he  and  his 
hostess  were  not  unacquainted  with  the  man  who 
lay  out  there  in  the  snow  under  the  shadow  of  the 
pines.  For  a  moment  after  his  reply  there  was  a 
strained  uneasy  silence.  The  corporal  removed  his 
eyes  from  his  hostess's  face  and  glanced  round  the 
table.  Mr.  Rayner  was  fingering  the  stem  of  a 
wine-glass  nervously,  whilst  Miss  La  Farge  was 
looking  from  him  to  Miss  Gargrave  with  puzzled 
eyes.  Evidently  she  was  conscious  that  something 
unusual  was  taking  place,  but  the  corporal  was 
sure  that  to  her  the  name  he  had  just  spoken  was 
without  any  special  significance.  That  it  was 
known  to  the  other  two  people  present  he  was  cer- 
tain, and  he  waited  to  see  what  would  follow.  The 
sense  of  strain  grew  more  pronounced,  then  Mr. 
Rayner  shuffled  uneasily  and  broke  the  silence. 

"I  notice,  Corporal  Bracknell,  that  you  speak  of 
this — er — fellow  in  the  past  tense,  and  you  say 
that  he  has  escaped  you  finally.  Do  you  mean  to 
say  that  he  is — a — dead?" 

"He  is  lying  in  the  snow  in  a  path  cut  through 
the  trees  off  the  main  road  to  the  Lodge,"  answered 
the  corporal  steadily,  "and  he  has  been  shot,  I 
think." 

"Good  God!"  ejaculated  Mr.  Rayner,  in  a  voice 
that,  whilst  it  expressed  astonishment,  seemed  to 
the  corporal  to  be  a  little  flat.  "And  we  have  been 
sitting  here,  gassing,  whilst — "  He  broke  off  ab- 
ruptly. "Joy,"  he  cried  addressing  Miss  Gar- 
grave,  "you  are  ill.  The  shock  of  this  story — " 

[16] 


A  STRANGE  DISAPPEARANCE 

"It  is  nothing,"  interrupted  the  girl  in  a  shaking 
voice.  "I — I — feel  a  little  faint.  If  you  will 
excuse  me — "  She  rose  to  her  feet,  staggered 
a  little,  and  then,  as  Miss  La  Farge  ran  to  her, 
fainted  outright.  For  a  moment  Corporal  Brack- 
nell  did  not  speak,  though  a  look  of  utmost  concern 
came  upon  his  face.  The  situation  seemed  to  him 
to  be  thronged  with  dreadful  possibilities.  Remem- 
bering the  look  on  the  girl's  face  when  he  had 
encountered  her  in  the  forest  road,  and  the  rifle  in 
her  hand,  he  found  in  this  faint  further  support 
for  the  suspicion  which  had  occurred  to  him  when 
he  had  stood  by  the  supine  body  of  Koona  Dick. 
Living  in  the  wilds,  it  was  scarcely  likely  that  the 
news  of  a  dead  man  would  affect  her  thus,  if  that 
news  were  without  special  significance  for  her. 
Death  in  the  Northland — death  sharp  and  sudden 
was  not  so  uncommon  as  all  that.  Moving  acci- 
dents by  flood  and  field,  by  wild  beasts  and  wild  men, 
were  part  of  the  general  circumstances  of  wilderness 
life;  why,  therefore,  should  the  girl  be  thus  affected 
by  the  news  that  he  had  uttered?  Whilst  Mr.  Ray- 
ner  assisted  Miss  La  Farge  to  carry  their  hostess 
out  of  the  room,  he  stood  there,  his  mind  occupied 
by  this  momentous  question.  The  answer  was  one 
which  took  the  form  of  a  further  question  and  which 
filled  him  with  concern.  Had  she  killed  Koona 
Dick,  with  whom,  as  he  was  sure,  she  was  ac- 
quainted? 

Again  he  saw  the  beautiful  face,  the  picture  of 
terror  and  the  eyes  in  their  unseeing  stare  of  horror, 
and  wondered  what  was  the  meaning  of  it  all.  Had 
the  girl  seen  the  body  of  Koona  Dick  lying  there 

[17] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

in  the  shadow  of  the  pines  with*  his  blood  staining 
the  snow,  and  was  she  merely  frightened;  or  was 
her  knowledge  of  a  more  intimate  and  guilty 
character?  He  could  not  decide,  and  whilst  he 
was  still  wondering,  the  door  of  the  room  opened 
and  Rayner  entered.  His  face  now  was  mask-like, 
and  his  voice  was  suave  and  even  as  he  addressed 
the  officer. 

"I  am  afraid  your  story  has  been  a  shock  to 
Miss  Gargarve,  who  has  not  been  very  well  all  day. 
You  will  have  to  excuse  her  for  this  evening;  but 
that  is  no  reason  why  you  should  not  finish  your 
dinner,  after  which  we  might  go  out  and  look  at 
this  dead  man.  I  suppose  he  will  have  to  have 
sepulchre?" 

"Even  the  worst  of  us  should  have  that,"  an- 
swered the  corporal  quietly,  then  added,  "Miss 
Gargrave — she  is  better?" 

"Yes,  it  was  only  a  faint.  I  expect  she  found 
it  rather  shocking  to  think  that  whilst  we  were  sat 
here,  that  man  was  lying  dead  in  the  snow  outside." 

"I  can  understand  that,"  answered  the  other  in 
a  non-committal  voice. 

Mr.  Rayner  nodded.  "Feminine  nerves  are 
unstable  things."  A  second  later  he  asked,  "Did 
I  understand  you  to  say  that  this  man  whom  you 
were  following  was  shot?" 

"That  is  only  a  guess  of  mine,"  was  the  reply. 
"I  found  him  lying  there  in  the  snow,  and  only  a 
few  minutes  before  I  distinctly  heard  a  rifle  fire 
twice." 

"But,"  objected  Mr.  Rayner,  "it  does  not  fol- 
low that  the  shots  you  heard  were  directed  against 

[18] 


A  STRANGE  DISAPPEARANCE 

this  man  Koona  Dick?  I  myself  fired  at  a  timber- 
wolf  on  the  outskirts  of  the  homestead  just  a  little 
while  before  your  arrival." 

"Did  you  fire  twice?"  asked  Corporal  Bracknell 
quickly. 

"N— no!     Once!" 

There  was  a  little  hesitation  before  the  reply 
was  given.  It  was  but  the  fraction  of  a  second, 
but  the  policeman  marked  it,  and  suspected  that  the 
other  had  been  a  little  uncertain  as  to  what  he 
ought  to  answer. 

"But  I  heard  two  shots — one  on  the  heels  of  the 
other,"  answered  Bracknell. 

"One  may  have  been  the  echo,"  suggested  Ray- 
ner.  "Up  here  when  it  is  still,  sounds  are  easily 
duplicated." 

"No,  it  was  not  an  echo,"  asserted  the  corporal. 
"I  am  quite  sure  of  that.  I  have  lived  in  the  wilds 
too  long  to  be  deceived  in  a  small  matter  of  that 
sort.  The  second  shot  was  as  real  as  the  first. 
And  there  is  another  thing  I  ought  to  tell  you,  Mr. 
Raynor.  Immediately  after  the  second  shot  I 
heard  a  woman  cry  out." 

Mr.  Rayner  looked  interested.  "Are  you  quite 
sure  it  was  a  woman?"  he  asked.  "It  may  have 
been  the  death-cry  of  this  man — er — Koona  Dick, 
which  you  heard." 

"That  is  just  possible,"  agreed  the  corporal. 
"Yet  it  seemed  to  me  like  the  cry  of  a  woman  in 
terror." 

"It  is  easy  even  for  trained  ears  to  be  mistaken 
up  here,"  said  the  other  suavely.  "Since  I  ^  came 
here  I  have  heard  a  h?re  scream  like  a  child  in  ag- 

[19] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

ony.  The  cry  you  heard  may  have  been  no  more 
than  that  of  some  small  creature  falling  a  victim  to 
the  law  of  the  wild,  which  is  that  the  strongest  takes 
the  prey." 

"Maybe!"  said  Bracknell  laconically.  In  his 
heart  he  did  not  accept  the  explanation,  plausible 
though  it  was. 

"I  am  sure  of  it,"  answered  the  other,  as  if  de- 
termined to  convince  him.  "In  the  silence  of  these 
northern  forests,  as  I  have  noticed  often  of  late, 
sounds  seem  to  take  strange  qualities.  The  lone- 
liness accentuates  them,  and  if  one  has  any  reason 
for  suspecting  the  presence  of  other  humans  besides 
one's  self,  then  every  sound  one  hears  seems  to  have 
some  bearing  on  the  unseen  presences." 

"Perhaps,"  replied  the  policeman,  wondering 
why  the  other  should  be  so  persistent  in  the  matter; 
"but  you  forget  one  thing  which  is  rather  fatal  to 
your  argument." 

"And  what  is  that?"  inquired  Rayrier  quickly. 

"Well,  I  was  not  expecting  to  find  a  woman  up 
in  this  wilderness;  indeed,  it  was  the  last  thought 
in  my  mind.  That  fact  makes  your  argument  fail, 
at  any  rate  as  applied  to  the  cry  I  heard." 

To  this  Mr.  Rayner  made  no  reply.  He  pushed 
a  wine  decanter  towards  the  other,  and  rising  from 
the  table  crossed  the  room  to  a  cabinet,  from  which 
he  took  out  a  box  of  cigars. 

"We  will  have  a  smoke,  before  going  to  look  at 
this  dead  man." 

Corporal  Bracknell  accepted  the  cigar,  which  was 
of  choice  brand,  and  when  he  had  lit  it  he  looked 
at  the  other— and  said  thoughtfully.  "I  have  been 

[20] 


A  STRANGE  DISAPPEARANCE 

wondering  why  Miss  Gargrave  lives  up  here  in  the 
wilds?" 

Rayner  laughed  a  little.  "I  am  not  surprised  at 
that.  Everybody  wonders.  But  the  fact  is  that 
she  has  no  real  choice  in  the  matter.  As  I  dare  say 
you  will  have  heard,  Rolf  Gargrave  was  immensely 
rich,  and  he  made  his  daughter  his  heiress,  but  on 
the  condition  that  for  three  years  after  his  death 
she  should  live  at  North  Star  Lodge.  That  is  the 
explanation!" 

"But  why  on  earth  should  he  make  a  condition 
of  that  sort — for  a  girl?" 

"He  was  a  crank!"  replied  Rayner  contemptu- 
ously. "He  was  not  an  admirer  of  what  is  called 
modern  civilization — indeed,  he  detested  it  most 
heartily  and  whilst  he  sent  his  daughter  to  England 
to  be  educated,  he  desired  to  protect  her  against 
society  influences;  and  he  believed  that  a  few  years 
in  the  North  here,  in  touch  with  primitive  life, 
would  give  her  a  distaste  for  the  shams  and  artifici- 
alities of  great  cities.  Also — I  believe  he  was  a 
little  afraid  of  fortune-hunters  and  wanted  Joy's 
mind  to  mature  before  she  met  the  breed." 

Bracknell  nodded  his  understanding  of  the  sit- 
uation, and  then  remarked.  "The  place  is  not  with- 
out its  points — but  to  my  thinking  it  has  grave  dan- 
gers also.  When  Miss  Gargrave  returns  to  civili- 
zation, the  reaction  from  the  hard  life  and  the 
solitude  of  the  North  is  likely  to  be  so  great  that 
in  the  whirl  she  may  be  carried  off  her  feet." 

"Yes,  Rolf  Gargrave  does  not  appear  to  have 
thought  of  that.  But  there  are  others  who  have 
it  in  mind."  The  corporal  looked  thoughtfully  at 

[21] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

his  companion,  and  wondered  what  relation  he  stood 
to  their  hostess.  It  was  a  question  that  could  not 
be  asked  openly,  but  remembering  how  once  or 
twice  the  girl's  Christian  name  had  slipped  into 
Rayner's  speech  he  guessed  that  whatever  the 
relationship  was,  it  was  a  fairly  intimate  one.  He 
was  still  wondering  when  his  companion  rose. 

"If  you  are  ready,  Corporal  Bracknell,  we  will 
go  and  look  at — a — Koona  Dick." 

The  corporal  rose  with  alacrity,  and  five  minutes 
later,  clad  in  outdoor  furs,  they  were  moving  briskly 
down  the  road  cut  between  the  pines.  As  they 
walked,  the  policeman  looked  about  him  with  keen 
eyes,  and  when  they  reached  the  point  where  the 
narrower  path  that  he  had  followed  branched  off, 
noticed  what  had  escaped  him  before,  namely  that 
the  path  was  evidently  continued  on  the  other  side 
of  the  road  also.  Rayner  did  not  hesitate  between 
the  two.  He  made  a  straight  line  for  the  path 
which  led  to  the  place  where  Koona  Dick  had  fallen. 
As  they  turned  into  it,  the  thought  that  he  might  be 
wrong  appeared  to  strike  him,  and  he  halted 
abruptly. 

"This  path,  wasn't  it?  The  left  going  towards 
the  house,  I  think  you  said,  didn't  you?" 

"Yes,  the  left!"  answered  Corporal  Bracknell 
quietly,  but  as  he  walked  by  the  other's  side  the 
question-  leaped  in  his  mind.  "Did  I  mention  the 
left?"  He  could  not  remember.  He  doubted,  and 
his  doubts  were  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  till 
a  moment  before  he  had  not  known  that  the  path 
was  continued  across  the  main  road.  Thinking 
there  was  only  one  path,  there  was  no  reason  why 

[22] 


A  STRANGE  DISAPPEARANCE 

he  should  have  mentioned  the  position  of  it.  Yet 
the  man  by  his  side  had  known  which  path  to  take ! 
As  he  walked  on,  he  gave  no  sign,  but  a  question 
leaped  up  in  his  mind.  "How  did  Rayner  know?*' 

Then  simultaneously  he  and  his  companion  came 
to  an  abrupt  halt.  At  their  feet  in  the  snow  was 
a  dark  blot.  The  corporal  looked  hastily  round, 
then  felt  for  his  matches  and  struck  one.  As  the 
wood  caught,  he  stooped  and  examined  the  ground 
near  the  dark  blot,  where  was  the  impress  of  a  heavy 
body  in  the  snow,  and  footmarks  all  round  it.  He 
stared  at  the  trampled  snow  in  amazement,  then 
he  examined  the  snow  in  the  shadow  of  the  trees. 
Its  surface  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  was 
unbroken,  save  by  the  print  of  a  single  pair  of 
moccasined  feet,  and  those  footmarks  moved  to- 
wards the  place  where  Koona  Dick  had  lain,  and 
not  away  from  it.  He  looked  among  the  under- 
wood in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  path.  The 
search  in  the  darkness  revealed  nothing,  nowhere 
was  there  any  sign  of  the  man  whom  they  had  come 
to  look  for. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Rayner  in  an  odd  voice. 
"What  has  happened?" 

"A  strange  thing  has  happened,"  said  the  cor- 
poral laconically.  "The  body  we  came  to  look  for 
has  disappeared." 


[23] 


CHAPTER  III 
LTHE  CORPORAL  FINDS  A  LETTER 

DISAPPEARED!"     As  he  echoed  the  cor- 
poral's word  in   a  hoarse   voice,   Rayner 
looked    hastily    and    fearfully    into    the 
shadows,  and  then  added,  "Are  you  sure?" 

"Quite  sure,"  answered  Corporal  Bracknell 
tersely.  "This  is  the  place  where  he  lay.  That 
is  his  blood  in  the  snow  there ;  and  you  can  see  the 
print  of  his  body  if  you  look." 

"Then — then  he  was  not  dead  after  all?"  asked 
Rayner  in  a  strange  voice. 

"I  would  not  say  that.  I  would  have  taken  my 
oath  that  there  was  no  life  in  him.  I  even  felt 
his  heart!" 

"But  in  that  case,  how  has  he  got  away?" 
inquired  Rayner  quickly.  "Dead  men  do  not  walk 
away  from  the  place  where  they  die." 

"No,  answered  the  corporal  quietly.  "But  they 
may  be  carried.  It  seems  to  me  that  there  are 
more  footmarks  here  than  there  were  when  I  came 
on  Koona  Dick  lying  in  the  track;  but  I  cannot  be 
quite  sure  of  that,  as  I  did  not  look  about  very 
carefully." 

"Why  not?"  asked  the  other  a  trifle  critically. 
"I  should  have  thought  that  would  have  been  the 
very  first  thing  that  you  would  have  done." 

[24] 


THE  CORPORAL  FINDS  A  LETTER 

"In  ordinary  circumstances  it  would,"  was  the 
reply,  "but  I  had  left  my  team  in  the  main  track, 
and  to  do  that  overlong  is  not  wise.  One  might 
get  separated  from  it,  you  know.  Also  I  had  al- 
ready guessed  that  there  was  a  homestead  not  very 
far  away,  and  it  seemed  the  sensible  thing  to  go 
there  first,  and  learn  anything  that  I  could  that 
would  help  in  the  elucidation  of  the  mystery  of  the 
dead  man." 

"Um!  And  did  you  learn  anything?" 

"More  than  I  expected." 

"Indeed!"  answered  Rayner  sharply.  There 
was  a  new  note  in  his  voice,  and  the  corporal  felt 
rather  than  saw  that  the  other  was  staring  at  him 
in  the  darkness.  "May  I  ask  what  that  was?" 

"It  was  that  you  were  acquainted  with  Koona 
Dick." 

"I  have  never  spoken  to  him  in  my  life,"  replied 
Rayner  quickly. 

"But  you  knew  him  ot  you  had  heard  of  him. 
I  saw  you  start  when  I  mentioned  his  name  at 
table." 

His  companion  laughed  uneasily.  "You  have 
sharper  eyes  than  I  gave  you  credit  for,  Corporal 
Bracknell.  It  is  quite  true  that  I  had  heard  of 
Koona  Dick.  I  heard  of  him  in  my  journey  up, 
and  what  I  heard  was  not  to  his  credit.  Your  pres- 
ence here  implied  that  he  was  in  this  district,  and 
one  had  no  hankering  for  such  an  unpleasant  neigh- 
bour." 

"And  Miss  Gargrave,  had  she  only  heard  of 
him  also?" 

As  he   asked  the   question  the   aurora   flashed 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

suddenly  in  the  Northern  sky,  and  in  its  light  re- 
flected from  the  snow  the  corporal  saw  that  Ray- 
ner's  face  was  white  and  troubled.  The  light 
faded  almost  as  suddenly  as  it  flamed,  and  with 
that  look  in  his  mind  the  policeman  waited  for  the 
answer  to  his  question.  It  seemed  to  be  an  intoler- 
able time  before  Rayner  spoke  in  a  hoarse  and 
shaking  voice. 

"How  can  I  tell  you?  If  you  feel  that  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  obtain  an  answer  to  that 
question,  I  can  only  suggest  that  you  should  ap- 
proach Miss  Gargrave  herself." 

In  his  heart  Bracknell  knew  that  this  answer  was 
a  mere  evasion.  Rayner  knew  more  than  he  was 
willing  to  confess,  and  the  policeman  wondered 
what  it  was,  and  what  link  there  was  between  him 
and  Miss  Gargrave  and  Koona  Dick.  He  consid- 
ered a  moment,  and  then  deliberately  forced  the 
pace. 

"I  have  not  told  you  everything,  Mr.  Rayner.  I 
do  not  know  what  relation  you  stand  to  Miss  Gar- 
grave,  but — " 

"I  am  her  cousin,"  interrupted  Rayner,  "and  my 
father  is  her  guardian  and  lawyer." 

"Is  that  so?"  answered  the  corporal.  "Then 
there  is  more  reason  why  I  should  tell  you  what 
I  intended  to  do.  I  have  not  told  you  yet  how  I 
came  to  find  Koona  Dick.  I  had  turned  in  from 
the  river  because  I  smelt  burning  wood.  I  thought 
that  maybe  the  man  I  was  after  had  encamped 
somewhere  in  this  immediate  neighbourhood.  I 
found  the  avenue  leading  to  North  Star  Lodge  and 
began  to  follow  it.  I  turned  from  the  main  road 

[26] 


THE  CORPORAL  FINDS  A  LETTER 

into  the  wood  on  a  fresh  sled-trail  which  I  imagined 
and  still  imagine  was  Koona  Dick's.  I  had  gone 
only  a  little  way,  when,  as  I  have  already  told  you, 
I  heard  two  rifle  shots  and  a  woman's  cry  in  quick 
succession  to  each  other.  I  ran  back  to  the  road, 
and  after  waiting  a  moment  I  began  to  follow  it. 
I  had  reached  the  point  where  this  path  cuts  into 
it,  when  happening  to  glance  across  I  saw  a  woman 
coming  towards  me  across  the  snow.  I  halted  in 
the  shadows,  meaning  to  speak  to  her,  but  I  caught 
sight  of  her  face,  and  she  did  not  see  either  my  team 
or  myself." 

"You  saw  her  face — plainly?"  interrupted  his 
listener  quickly. 

"Quite  plainly." 

"And  would  you  recognize  it  again?" 

"I  have  already  done  so,"  answered  the  corporal 
quietly. 

"Indeed?" 

"Yes,  the  woman  was  your  cousin,  Miss  Gar- 
grave." 

"My  dear  fellow,"  cried  Rayner,  breaking  into 
discordant  laughter.  "You  surely  are  not  going 
to  charge  Joy  with  shooting  Koona  Dick?" 

The  corporal  was  not  disturbed  by  the  laughter. 
To  his  ears  it  sounded  forced,  and  the  contemptuous 
protest  in  his  companion's  words  left  him  unmoved. 

"There  is  one  little  thing  that  I  have  not  told  you, 
Mr.  Rayner,  and  to  me  it  seems  to  be  significant. 
Miss  Gargrave  carried  a  rifle." 

"There  is  nothing  strange  or  even  significant 
in  that,"  replied  the  other  quickly.  "My  cousin  is 
an  ardent  sportswoman,  and  had  probably  been 

[27] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

after  game.  Besides,  as  I  told  you,  I  think,  there 
are  timber  wolves  about.  They  are  dangerous 
beasts  in  hard  weather,  and  one  does  not  go  far 
unarmed  in  this  district." 

Corporal  Bracknell  answered  these  suggestions 
by  some  of  his  own.  "Miss  Gargrave  was  running 
down  the  path  which  led  to  this  spot.  To  my 
eyes  she  was  plainly  distraught,  and  I  may  remind 
you  that  she  fainted  when  I  told  you  that  Koona 
Dick  was  dead." 

Rayner  laughed  again  hardly.  "You  are  per- 
sistent, Corporal,  but  there  is  nothing  in  a  girl 
fainting  when  she  is  told  rather  dramatically  that 
a  man  has  been  shot  dead  almost  at  her  own  door. 
Aren't  you  a  little  imaginative?  Indeed,"  he 
laughed  again,  "having  heard  a  rifle  shot  have  you 
not  imagined  all  the  rest?  I  am  told  that  a  lonely 
trail  plays  the  deuce  with  a  man's  nerves.  You 
say  that  you  saw  Koona  Dick  lying  here,  dead;  but 
he  is  not  here — now,  and  he  can't — " 

"I  haven't  imagined  that  anyhow,"  interrupted 
Bracknell,  pointing  to  the  dark  stain  on  the  snow, 
"and  I  haven't  imagined  any  of  the  other  things 
I  have  told  you,  either.  Believe  me,  Mr.  Rayner, 
my  nerves  are  in  perfect  order." 

Rayner  stamped  his  feet  in  the  snow.  "Possibly! 
But  there  is  no  need  that  we  should  freeze,  whilst 
we  discuss  the  point,  is  there  ?  I  do  not  understand 
police  procedure,  but  if  you  have  quite  finished 
here,  I  think  we  might  return  to  the  house.  I 
have  no  desire  to  lose  my  toes  through  frost-bite." 

"I     can    do     nothing    here,     tonight,"     replied 

[28] 


THE  CORPORAL  FINDS  A  LETTER 

Bracknell  quickly.  "I  shall  have  to  wait  until 
morning.  I  am  quite  ready  to  return." 

Rayner  did  not  reply.  Swinging  on  his  heel,  he 
began  to  move  in  the  direction  of  the  lodge.  The 
corporal  followed  him  in  silence,  and  they  had  al- 
most reached  the  main-road  when  something  light 
caught  his  moccasined  foot.  He  looked  down  and 
discerned  what  looked  like  a  piece  of  paper.  Stoop- 
ing quickly,  he  picked  it  up,  and  crushed  it  in  his 
mitten,  as  his  companion  turned  round,  as  if  to  wait 
for  him.  At  first  he  thought  Rayner  must  have 
seen  him  make  the  find;  but  as  the  other  spoke,  was 
reassured. 

"I  hope  you  will  not  disturb  my  cousin  unneces- 
sarily tonight,  Corporal  Bracknell." 

"I  shall  not  trouble  her  at  all,  Mr  Rayner. 
There  is  no  need  that  I  should — yet." 

"Nor  at  any  other  time,  I  hope." 

"I  share  that  hope,  most  fervently,"  answered 
Bracknell,  with  an  earnestness  that  the  other 
evidently  found  convincing,  for  he  did  not  speak 
again  until  they  were  seated  in  the  front  of  the 
stove  in  the  room  where  they  had  dined.  Then 
he  tried  to  make  light  of  the  situation.  "Cor- 
poral," he  laughed,  "the  laws  of  hospitality  are  sa- 
cred in  the  North.  Even  though  you  feel  you  must 
drag  us  all  down  as  your  prisoners,  they  must  be 
honoured.  We  have  some  very  old  brandy  here, 
indeed  it  is  incredibly  old,  and  its  quality  is  equal 
to  its  age.  You  will  take  a  glass  with  me,  and  an- 
other cigar?" 

"I  shall  be  delighted,  thank  you,  Mr.  Rayner." 

Rayner  produced  a   decanter  and  glasses,   and 

[29] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

poured  out  the  brandy,  and  whilst  the  officer  was 
lighting  his  cigar,  Miss  La  Farge  entered  the  room. 

"How  is  Joy?"  asked  Rayner  quickly. 

"Better,  thank  you.  She  sent  me  to  make  her 
excuses  for  tonight;  and  to  ask  how  you  had 
sped." 

"Only  fairly,"  answered  Rayner,  with  a  smiling 
glance  at  the  corporal.  "We  did  not  find  the  dead 
man  whom  Mr.  Bracknell  averred  he  saw." 

"That  is  very  strange,"  said  the  girl  wonderingly. 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply,  "very  strange,  so  strange 
indeed  that  I  have  tried  to  persuade  the  corporal 
that  all  that  he  has  told  us  is  just  a  snow-dream." 

"But  you  have  not  persuaded  him?"  asked 
Miss  La  Farge,  with  a  quick  glance  at  the  corporal's 
face. 

It  was  Bracknell  himself  who  answered.  "No, 
I  have  not,  as  yet,  been  persuaded,  Miss  La 
Farge." 

"My  eloquence  was  wasted,  Babette,"  laughed 
Rayner  easily.  "Corporal  Bracknell  has  that 
British  stubbornness  which  is  a  nuisance  to  our 
friends  and  a  terror  to  our  enemies." 

Miss  La  Farge  laughed  as  she  replied,  "That  is 
a  characteristic  of  the  male  persuasion." 

With  a  smiling  nod  she  withdrew,  closing  the  door 
behind  her,  and  Rayner  rose  from  his  chair  and 
drew,  a  curtain  of  moose-hide  over  the  door.- 

"Miss  La  Farge  is  a  good  companion  for  my 
cousin." 

"From  French  Canada,  I  suppose?"  queried  the 
corporal. 

"Father  was  of  that  stock,  but  her  mother  was 

[30] 


THE  CORPORAL  FINDS  A  LETTER 

partly    of    Scotch    descent,    partly    native.     Joy's 
mother  died  young,  and  Babette's  brought  them  up 
together.     They    are    foster-sisters    and   insepara-/ 
bles." 

Bracknell  nodded,  and  sipped  the  brandy  thought- 
fully, and  the  other  continued,  "I  do  not  know  what 
will  happen  when  Joy  gets  married." 

"Is  that  an  early  possibility?"  asked  the  corpo- 
ral, with  a  sudden  quickening  of  interest. 

"I  hope  so,"  replied  Rayner,  with  a  bland  smile. 

The  corporal  made  the  inference  that  he  was 
meant  to  make.  "Then  you — " 

"It  is  not  quite  settled  yet,  but  I  hope  it  will 
be  very  shortly.  The  wilderness  years  necessitated 
by  her  father's  will  are  nearly  over,  and  I  am  to 
take  her  'out'  from  here.  I  hope  then  that  we  shall 
be  married,  and  live  in  England." 

For  a  moment  the  corporal  did  not  reply.  He 
looked  at  the  bland,  mask-like  face  before  him, 
saw,  as  he  had  already  noted,  that  the  steel-like 
blue  eyes  were  too  close  together,  that  the  lips  were 
sensual;  and  as  he  did  so,  the  beautiful  face  of  Joy 
Gargrave,  as  he  had  seen  it  at  table,  rose  before 
him,  and  somehow  he  found  Rayner's  suggestion 
of  coming  wedlock  utterly  distasteful.  The  man, 
as  he  felt  instinctively,  was  not  a  man  to  be  trusted 
with  a  girl's  happiness.  Why  he  should  have  that 
feeling  he  could  not  tell;  but  it  was  there,  and  it 
was  only  by  an  effort  that  he  was  able  to  reply 
affably. 

"For  Miss  Gargrave,  England,  no  doubt,  is  much 
to  be  preferred." 

"Much!"  agreed  Rayner,  then  added,  "Having 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

told  you  so  much,  you  can  understand  that  I  feel 
rather  inclined  to  resent  your  suggestion  that  Joy 
has  anything  to  do  with  the  mysterious  affair  out 
in  the  wood  there.  She  may  have  heard  the  name 
of  Koona  Dick  as  I  myself  have,  but  that  she  knew 
him,  that  she  shot  him,  is  the  very  wildest  thing 
for  any  one  to  imagine.  I  really  cannot  think  how 
you  can  entertain  it  for  a  moment  in  face  of  the 
utter  absence  of  motive." 

"That  is  a  strong  point  certainly,"  conceded 
Bracknell. 

"That  she  happened  to  be  in  the  neighbourhood 
is  nothing.  I  was  in  the  neighbourhood,  you  were 
in  the  neighbourhood — " 

"Yes,"  interrupted  the  corporal  with  a  smile, 
"that  is  true.  But,  there  is  no  reason  why  I  should 
shoot  Koona  Dick,  and  there  was  every  reason  why 
I  should  take  him  prisoner." 

"You  are  not  suggesting  that  there  was  any  rea- 
son why  Joy  or  I  should  have  done  such  a  thing,  I 
hope?" 

"Far  from  it.  I  know  of  none,  but  of  course 
in  an  area  where  crime  is  committed  every  one  is 
suspect  until  the  criminal  is  found." 

Rayner  laughed  easily,  and  to  the  corporal's 
quick  ear  there  was  a  note  of  relief  in  his  tones  as 
he  replied,  "In  that  case  there  is  no  need  why  we 
should  worry,  however  one  may  resent  the  per- 
sonal implication  of  such  a  general  suspicion." 

He  pushed  the  decanter  towards  the  corporal, 
who  shook  his  head,  and  rose  from  his  chair. 

"Thank  you,  no  more  tonight,  Mr.  Rayner. 
If  you  will  excuse  me,  I  will  go  to  my  sleeping 

[32] 


THE  CORPORAL  FINDS  A  LETTER 

quarters.  I  have  had  a  very  hard  day,  and  must 
be  up  betimes  in  the  morning." 

"As  you  will,"  answered  Rayner,  and  a  moment 
later  led  the  way  to  the  bedroom  which  the  police- 
man was  to  occupy.  For  the  North  it  was  a  luxur- 
ious one,  but  the  corporal  scarcely  noticed  it.  The 
moment  the  door  had  closed  behind  Rayner,  he 
thrust  a  hand  into  his  tunic  pocket  and  drew  forth 
a  crumpled  piece  of  paper.  It  was  the  paper  he 
had  picked  up  in  the  snow.  He  opened  it  out,  and 
as  he  caught  a  word  or  two  of  the  writing  it  con- 
tained, a  swift  light  of  interest  came  into  his  eyes. 

Setting  a  chair  in  front  of  the  stove,  he  seated 
himself,  and  very  carefully  smoothed  the  paper  on 
his  knee.  Then  he  took  it  up  and  began  to  read. 

"Mv  DEAR  JOY, — 

"This  note  will  no  doubt  be  something  of  a 
shock  to  you;  as  I  imagine  you  must  think  I  am 
no  longer  in  the  land  of  the  living;  at  any  rate  I 
have  not  heard  from  you  for  a  very  long  time, 
and  so  can  only  presume  that  such  must  have  been 
your  idea.  But  here  I  am  and  in  a  sweat  to  see 
you. 

"An  accident  gave  me  the  knowledge  of  your 
whereabouts,  and  now  I  learn  that  you  are  not 
alone.  Therefore  I  shall  not  visit  the  house,  in  the 
first  instance,  without  your  invitation,  but  I  must 
see  you,  and  in  an  hour's  time  after  your  receipt 
of  this  I  shall  look  for  you  in  the  little  path  that 
goes  towards  the  hill.  It  is  a  long  time  since  that 
day  at  Alcombe,  which  I  am  sure  you  will  not  have 
forgotten,  and  you  and  I,  my  dear,  should  have 

[33] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

much  to  say  to  each  other.     Do  not  fail  to  come. 

"Dick.  .  .  ." 

When  he  reached  the  end,  the  corporal  sat  star- 
ing at  the  letter  like  a  man  hypnotized.  It  was  in 
pencil,  written  on  a  page  torn  out  of  a  memorandum 
book,  and  the  writer  had  evidently  been  about  to 
sign  his  full  name,  and  then  had  changed  his  mind, 
for  the  beginning  of  the  surname  had  been  crossed 
out,  and  the  more  intimate  "Dick"  left  to  stand 
alone. 

"Then  she  did  know  him!"  he  whispered  to 
himself.  "She  went  out  to  meet  him.  She — " 

He  did  not  finish  his  utterance,  but  lifted  the 
paper  the  more  carefully  to  examine  the  signature. 
He  was  interested  in  the  unfinished  surname,  and 
spelled  out  the  letters  carefully,  "B-r-a."  He 
repeated  them  to  himself  several  times,  trying  to 
guess  the  sequence  that  should  follow,  then  suddenly 
he  started  to  his  feet,  and  a  startled  look  came  into 
his  eyes. 

"Good  God!"  he  whispered.  "If  it  should  be 
so?"  He  stood  for  quite  a  long  time,  his  face  the 
index  of  profound  thought  and  concern,  then  he 
bestowed  the  incriminating  letter  in  a  place  of 
safety,  and  prepared  for  bed.  But  it  was  long 
before  he  slept.  From  somewhere  in  the  forest 
came  the  long-drawn  howl  of  a  wolf,  and  in  response 
the  dogs  outside  bayed  in  chorus,  but  it  was  his 
own  silent  thoughts,  and  not  these  noises  of  the 
wilderness,  that  kept  sleep  from  his  tired  eyes. 


[34] 


CHAPTER  IV 
A  PUZZLING  SCENT 

THE  following  morning  Corporal  Bracknell 
was  early  astir,  but  early  as  he  was  there 
were  others  earlier,  for  the  smell  of  frying 
moose-meat     reached  him  before  he  was  dressed. 
When  he  left  his  room  he  found  Rayner  awaiting 
him. 

"You  are  early,  Corporal,"  was  the  greeting. 

"Yes,  I  thought  of  going  out  as  far  as  the  place 
where  we  went  together  last  night." 

"What!  before  breakfast?  Surely  there  is  no 
need  for  such  haste,  and  remember  there  will  be 
no  daylight  for  at  least  a  couple  of  hours  yet." 

"That  is  so,  but—" 

An  Indian  servant  appeared  from  somewhere  in 
the  rear  of  the  house,  bearing  a  silver  coffee-pot  on 
a  tray.  Rayner  pointed  to  it  with  a  smile. 

"That  settles  the  matter,  I  fancy.  Breakfast  is 
being  served.  You  will  not  allow  it  to  spoil,  I  am 
sure." 

"It  is  a  convincing  argument,"  laughed  the  cor- 
poral. "I  will  breakfast  first  and  attend  to  duty 
afterwards." 

Rayner  nodded,  and  led  the  way  into  the  room 
where  they  had  dined  on  the  previous  night.  Places 
were  laid  for  four  at  the  table,  but  neither  Miss 
Gargrave  nor  her  foster-sister  had  yet  appeared. 

[35] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"We  are  a  little  early  for  the  ladies,"  said  Ray- 
ner,  seating  himself,  "but  we  will  not  wait  for  them. 
They  may  breakfast  in  their  room." 

The  corporal  took  his  place,  and  whilst  they  ate, 
conversed  with  his  companion  in  a  desultory  kind 
of  way.  Both  of  them  steadily  avoided  any  refer- 
ence to  the  events  and  conversation  of  the  night 
before,  and  in  the  course  of  the  meal  the  policeman 
learned  a  little  more  about  his  hostess'  father. 

"He  was  an  odd  kind  of  man,"  explained  Rayner, 
when  reference  had  been  made  to  him.  "Came  of 
a  good  stock  in  the  Old  Country,  and  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  up  here.  A  man  of  culture  as  a  glance 
round  the  bookshelves  will  show  you,  and  a  man 
of  business  also.  Some  of  the  best  mining  properties 
in  the  North  were  secured  by  him,  and  unlike  many 
of  the  Klondyke  millionaires  he  made  his  home 
here,  and  he  bought,  regardless  of  cost,  the  old 
family  estate  in  England.  I  think  he  meant  to 
return  there,  with  his  daughter,  some  day.  But 
the  hard  life  of  these  wild  lands  had  entered  into 
his  blood,  and  he — " 

The  sound  of  a  feminine  voice  outside  caught  the 
officer's  attention,  and  made  him  neglect  what  his 
companion  was  saying.  He  heard  the  outer  door 
open,  and  close,  then  hurried  steps  sounded  in  the 
passage,  and  two  people  passed  by  the  room  in 
which  he  was  seated.  The  door  happened  to  be 
ajar,  and  the  corporal  saw  that  one  was  his  hostess, 
and  that  the  other  was  her  companion  and  foster- 
sister,  Miss  La  Farge.  They  were  not  late  for 
breakfast  because  they  had  dallied  in  their  rooms; 
they  had  been  outside. 

[36] 


A  PUZZLING  SCENT 

As  he  realized  this  a  little  frown  of  thoughtful- 
ness  puckered  the  corporal's  forehead.  Why  had 
they  been  out  at  this  early  hour,  and  whilst  it  was 
still  dark?  Rayner  noticed  his  pre-occupation, 
and  guessing  the  cause  of  it,  suavely  offered  an  ex- 
planation. 

"Apparently  I  was  mistaken  about  my  cousin 
and  Miss  La  Farge.  They  are  not  the  sluggards 
I  thought  they  were.  They  have  been  outside 
whilst  I  thought  they  were  still  a-bed." 

"They  are  very  early,"  was  the  reply. 

"Yes !  There  is  a  silver  fox  about,  and  Joy 
has  a  line  of  traps.  She  hopes  to  get  it.  I  under- 
stand that  its  pelt  is  rare." 

"Much  rarer  than  it  used  to  be,"  agreed  the 
policeman  absently. 

The  explanation  was  a  plausible  one,  but  he  did 
not  find  it  satisfactory.  He  suspected  that 
something  other  than  a  silver  fox  had  taken  Joy 
Gargrave  and  her  foster-sister  into  the  woods  in 
the  darkness  of  the  morning.  He  wondered  what 
it  was.  Had  his  hostess  missed  the  note  which 
he  had  picked  up  the  night  before,  and  had  she 
been  out  to  look  for  it?  He  did  not  know,  he  could 
only  guess,  and  wait  impatiently  for  the  coming 
of  dawn. 

As  soon  as  the  first  leaden  light  showed  through 
the  trees  outside  he  left  the  house.  Rayner  offered 
to  accompany  him;  but  the  corporal  declined  the 
offer. 

"Thank  you,  there  is  no  need,  Mr.  Rayner. 
I  shall  be  able  to  manage  what  I  have  to  do 
alone." 

[37] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"You  think  I  shall  be  in  the  way,  Corporal?" 
laughed  the  other. 

"I  did  not  say  so,"  answered  Bracknell,  "though 
of  course  it  is  the  simple  truth  that  when  one  has 
a  knotty  thing  to  solve,  solitude  and  quiet  are  some- 
times helpful." 

He  went  out  and  walked  quickly  from  the  house 
until  he  reached  the  by-path  where  he  had  made 
his  startling  discovery  of  the  night  before.  As 
soon  as  he  turned  into  it,  his  pace  slowed,  and  he 
walked  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  ground. 
There  were  many  foot-marks  in  the  snow,  the 
most  of  them  stale,  as  was  shown  by  the  powdery 
snow  which  had  drifted  into  them.  He  recognized 
his  own  tracks  of  the  night  before,  going  and  coming 
from  the  point  at  which  he  had  found  Koona  Dick, 
and  there  were  others  apparently  made  about  the 
same  time,  but  those  which  arrested  his  eyes  as 
he  turned  from  the  main  road  were  a  pair  of  freshly- 
made  well-marked  tracks,  too  small  to  have  been 
made  by  the  feet  of  men.  He  nodded  to  himself 
as  he  saw  them,  and  began  to  follow  them  eagerly. 

After  a  couple  of  minutes  walking,  he  was  a 
little  surprised  to  find  that  the  double  trail  that 
he  was  following,  turned  from  the  path  into  the 
shadow  of  the  trees.  It  was  still  almost  dark 
here,  but  as  he  stooped  over  the  tracks,  he  became 
aware  of  the  fact  which  seemed  to  him  to  be  full 
of  significance.  There  was  a  third  pair  of  foot- 
prints, not  so  recently  made  as  the  others,  as  the 
powdering  of  snow  in  them  showed,  and  the  tracks 
that  he  was  trailing  apparently  followed  them.  He 
stooped  and  with  his  hand  made  a  rough  measure 

[38] 


A  PUZZLING  SCENT 

of  the  stale  tracks,  and  of  one  set  of  the  fresh 
ones,  with  which  they  seemed  almost  identical. 
They  were  the  same  size,  and  about  the  two  sets 
of  impressions  were  little  individual  characteristics 
which  were  immediately  discernible  to  the  trained 
eyes. 

"Following  her  own  tracks,"  he  muttered  softly 
to  himself.  "Now,  I  wonder  why?" 

He  could  do  no  more  than  guess,  and  as  that  was 
not  a  very  profitable  occupation  he  continued 
his  search.  The  trail  that  he  was  following  went 
but  a  little  way  into  the  forest,  and  then  turned 
outward  towards  the  path  again,  and  presently 
reached  a  point  at  which  he  came  abruptly  to  a 
standstill. 

Under  a  giant  spruce,  the  lower  boughs  of  which 
had  been  cut  away  at  some  time  or  another,  was 
a  medley  of  tracks,  which  called  for  detailed  exam- 
ination. He  stood  regarding  them  for  a  moment, 
and  then  he  looked  around  him.  As  he  did  so 
he  saw  that  the  trail,  which  he  was  following, 
moved  forward  from  the  huddle  of  tracks  by  which 
he  had  paused,  and  that  they  led  into  an  open  lane 
in  the  trees.  He  looked  again,  took  a  step  or 
two  forward,  and  then  whistled  slowly  to  himself. 
He  was  looking  at  the  place  where  the  body  of 
Koona  Dick  had  lain.  The  stained  snow  was 
hidden  by  freshly  drifted  snow,  the  impress  of 
the  body  however  was  still  visible,  and  standing 
near  it,  Corporal  Bracknell  looked  back.  There 
was  a  clear  line  of  vision  from  the  place  where  the 
fallen  man  had  lain  to  the  great  spruce  in  the 
shadow  of  which  was  that  huddle  of  tracks.  He 

[39] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

went  back  to  the  spruce,  bent  over  the  trampled 
snow  for  a  little  time,  and  then  standing  upright 
looked  towards  the  path.  Then  he  nodded  his 
head. 

"She  stood  just  here,"  he  murmured  thought- 
fully. "There's  the  mark  of  her  rifle-stock  in 
the  snow,  and  those  deeper  tracks  show  that  she 
stood  waiting  a  little  time.  Then  when  Koona 
Dick  came,  she —  But  did  she?" 

As  he  broke  off  and  asked  himself  the  question 
he  remembered  Joy  Gargrave's  face  as  he  had 
first  seen  it  when  he  entered  the  dining  room  at 
the  lodge.  It  had  not  looked  like  the  face  of  a 
girl  who  had  quite  recently  shot  a  man,  and  though 
he  recalled  it  with  that  look  of  terror  which  it  had 
worn  when  he  had  first  seen  it,  and  again  with 
that  troubled  look  in  the  eyes  when  he  had  explained 
that  Koona  Dick  was  the  criminal  that  he  sought, 
he  felt  that  his  reasoning  and  his  reading  of  the  trail 
must  somehow  be  at  fault. 

He  stood  considering  the  matter  for  a  minute 
or  two,  glancing  now  and  again  to  the  place  where 
Koona  Dick  had  lain,  and  the  frown  which  had 
came  upon  his  face  deepened.  Then  he  recalled 
the  note  which  he  had  picked  up  on  the  previous 
night  and  the  frown  lightened  a  little. 

"Of  course!"  he  whispered  to  himself,  "she 
discovered  its  loss  and  came  out  here  to  look  for 
it." 

But  had  she  shot  the  man  whom  he  had  hoped 
to  make  his  prisoner,  the  man  who  unquestionably 
had  written  that  note  to  her?  He  could  not  decide, 
and  as  it  was  too  cold  to  stand  still  for  long  together, 

[40] 


A  PUZZLING  SCENT 

he  began  to  walk  in  a  rather  wide  circle  round 
the  scene  of  the  tragedy.  Then  he  made  a  fresh 
discovery.  On  the  other  side  of  the  path  he  found 
other  footprints  in  the  snow,  and,  following  the 
track,  reached  a  point  where  the  person  who  had 
made  them  had  quite  evidently  come  to  a  stand- 
still behind  a  clump  of  bushes.  Corporal  Bracknell 
looked  through  the  screen  of  small  branches,  and 
once  more  found  himself  in  full  view  of  the  place 
where  Koona  Dick  had  fallen. 

The  frown  on  his  face  deepened  once  more. 
He  carefully  examined  the  footmarks  behind  the 
bushes,  and  decided  that  they  were  at  least  some 
hours  old.  Probably  they  had  been  made  the  night 
before,  and  it  was  at  least  possible  that  the  indivi- 
dual who  had  made  them  had  witnessed  the  tragedy 
which  had  taken  place. 

He  began  to  follow  the  footmarks  from  the 
point  at  which  they  left  the  bushes,  and  had  gone 
but  a  little  way  when  he  found  that  the  trail  was 
crossed  by  another  almost  at  right  angles,  a  trail 
much  more  deeply  marked  and  the  first  sight  of 
which  told  him  that  either  the  person  who  had 
made  it  was  of  very  heavy  build,  or  had  been  bear- 
ing a  considerable  burden. 

Perplexed  beyond  measure  he  stared  at  this  new 
trail,  then  he  looked  round.  The  tall  spruce  alone 
met  his  eye.  The  profound,  silence  of  the  primeval 
North  was  over  all.  There  was  no  sound  of  life 
anywhere. 

"And  yet,"  he  murmured  to  himself,  "there 
were  quite  a  lot  of  people  here  last  night.  What 
were  they  all  doing?" 


JHE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Scarcely  had  the  words  slipped  from  him  when 
he  heard  some  one  cough  in  the  shadow  of  the 
wood,  a  little  to  the  left  of  him.  At  once  his 
bearing  became  alert.  Moving  silently  from  tree 
to  tree  in  the  direction  from  which  the  sound  had 
come,  he  reached  a  point  which  gave  him  a  view 
of  an  open  glade.  In  the  middle  of  the  glade  a  girl 
was  standing  looking  down  at  the  snow.  He 
recognized  her  instantly.  It  was  his  hostess,  Joy 
Gargrave. 

A  minute  or  two  passed  and  then  the  girl  began 
to  move  down  the  glade  quickly.  He  waited  until 
she  was  out  of  sight,  and  himself  walked  to  the 
middle  of  the  glade  where  Joy  had  stood  looking 
down  at  the  snow.  Instantly  he  saw  what  had  held 
her  eyes.  A  dog  team  had  been  halted  there. 
The  marks  of  the  runners  were  visible  in  the  snow, 
even  the  places  where  the  dogs  had  waited,  half- 
filled  with  new  snow,  were  quite  clear.  His  prac- 
tised eyes  read  the  signs  without  trouble.  The  team 
had  entered  the  glade,  had  apparently  waited  there 
a  little  time,  and  then  had  turned  and  departed 
in  the  direction  followed  by  his  hostess.  Impul- 
sively, he  turned  to  follow  also,  but  as  he  did  so, 
caught  sight  of  footmarks  debouching  from  the 
trees  in  a  direct  line  to  the  place  where  the  sled 
had  been  halted.  They  were  deeply  marked,  and 
as  he  recognized  instantly  were  the  same  as  those 
which  he  had  been  following,  when  the  sound  of 
the  cough  had  attracted  his  attention.  The  person 
who  had  made  them  had  followed  a  devious  path, 
making  for  the  glade. 

He  frowned  to  himself.     The  mystery  was  grow- 

[42] 


ing  deeper.  But  as  no  solution  of  the  affair  offered 
itself  to  his  mind,  after  a  little  delay  he  began  to 
follow  the  sled  tracks  down  the  glade,  noting  that 
side  by  side  with  them,  were  the  fresh  tracks  made 
by  Joy  Gargrave's  moccasined  feet. 

The  glade  led  out  into  the  main  road  from  the 
river  to  the  house,  and  the  sled-tracks  turned  to- 
wards the  river,  and  then  were  lost  in  the  hard- 
packed  snow  of  the  road.  But  as  the  sled  had  man- 
ifestly turned  in  the  direction  of  the  river,  Corporal 
jBracknell  also  turned  that  way,  walking  quickly 
and  keeping  a  sharp  look-out  on  either  hand  for  any 
indication  of  the  sled  having  turned  aside. 

To  or  three  minutes'  quick  walking  brought  him 
in  sight  of  the  frozen  river,  and  at  the  top  of  the 
bank,  seated  on  a  fallen  tree,  he  perceived  Joy  Gar- 
grave. 

Her  back  was  towards  him,  and  her  bent  head 
and  hunched-up  shoulders  were  eloquent  of  dejec- 
tion. He  moved  towards  her  quietly,  and  as  he 
drew  nearer  a  flutter  of  white  caught  his  eye. 
It  was  the  corner  of  a  handkerchief  which  the  girl 
was  holding  to  her  face,  and  apparently  she  was 
crying.  A  quick  sympathy  moved  him  as  he  stepped 
up  to  her,  the  snow  deadening  his  steps. 

"Miss  Gargrave,  you  are  in  trouble.  I  wonder 
if  I  can  be  of  any  assistance?" 

Startled  by  the  sound  of  his  voice,  the  girl  looked 
up,  and  for  one  fleeting  moment  he  had  a  vision 
of  the  beautful  face,  tear-stained,  and  of  the  blue 
eyes  full  of  trouble.  Then  the  face  was  hidden 
in  the  handkerchief  again,  and  a  succession  of  sobs 

[43] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

was  the  only  answer  vouchsafed  to  him.  He 
stood  for  a  little  while  in  silence,  looking  down  at 
the  shaking  shoulders.  His  own  eyes  filled  with 
sympathetic  concern,  then  he  spoke  again. 

"Please,  Miss  Gargrave.  Let  me  help.  I  am 
sure  your  trouble  is  very  grave." 

At  that  she  looked  up  again,  her  face  expressive 
of  deep  misery. 

"I  am  in  deepest  trouble,"  she*  said  brokenly, 
"I  do  not  think  that  you  or  any  one  .else  can  be 
of  help  to  me." 

"Tell  me,"  he   urged.     "At  least  let  me  try." 

She,  sat  for  a  moment  in  thought,  her  eyes  veiled 
by  the  long  lashes,  then  she  lifted  her  head  and 
looked  at  him  as  if  she  would  measure  his  quality. 
Then  she  broke  out  impulsively. 

"Yes,"  she  cried,  "I  will  trust  you,  I  will  tell 
you  all.  Perhaps  you  can  help  me,  at  least  you 
can  give  me  advice." 

"Then  let  us  walk,"  he  said  quickly.  "You  will 
freeze  if  you  sit  there  long." 

He  offered  her  his  hand,  and  as  she  took  it, 
their  eyes  met,  and  in  the  corporal's  there  flashed 
a  new  light,  and  as  he  turned  and  fell  into  step 
at  her  side  his  heart  was  beating  tumultuously,  and 
his  blood  was  running  as  if  heated  with  a  generous 
wine. 


CHAPTER  V 
A  REVELATION 

JOY  GARGRAVE  did  not  begin  her  story  irrime- 
diately.     For  a  full  two  minutes  they  walked 
on,  environed  by  the  solemn  pinewoods,  and 
enveloped  in  the  strange,  white  silence  of  the  North. 
The  corporal  waited,  and  at  last  the  girl  spoke. 

"You  wonder  why  I  was  sitting  on  the  bank, 
crying?" 

"Yes,"  he  replied  frankly.  "I  am  wondering 
why  you  should  do  that,  though  I  may  tell  you 
that  I  already  have  an  idea." 

"You  already  have  an  idea?"  the  girl's  tones, 
as  she  echoed  his  question,  betrayed  surprise. 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  and  thrusting  a  hand  inside 
his  fur  parka,  he  produced  the  note  which  he  had 
found,  and  held  it  towards  her.  He  saw  from 
her  face  that  she  recognized  it,  and  he  continued 
slowly:  "You  see,  I  found  this  last  night — not 
far  from  the  place  where  Koona  Dick  was  lying. 
I  did  not  know  to  whom  it  had  been  written;  and 
if  I  had  known,  I  am  afraid  duty  would  have 
compelled  me  to  read  it.  If  I  am  not  mistaken, 
it  was  written  to  you;  at  any  rate  it  bears  your 
Christian  name." 

"It  was  written  to  me,"  answered  the  girl  quickly. 
"It  is  mine." 

[451 


"And  the  writer  of  it?     Was  he  Koona  Dick?" 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply. 

Corporal  Bracknell  glanced  at  the  note,  and  his 
eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  half-erased  signature. 
"Tell  me,"  he  said,  "what  is  Koona  Dick's  name? 
— I  mean  the  second  half  of  his  name  which  he 
had  begun  to  write  apparently  from  force  of  habit, 
and  then  crossed  out?" 

"I  am  afraid  it  will  be  something  of  a  surprise 
to  you,"  said  the  girl. 

"Perhaps  not  so  great  a  surprise  as  you  think," 
was  the  reply.  "I  think  I  have  already  guessed." 

"His  name  is  the  same  as  your  own,  Corporal. 
It  is  Bracknell  1" 

"Ah!"  said  the  corporal  in  the  tone  of  a  man 
who  had  found  his  thoughts  confirmed.  "Richard 
Ascham  Bracknell,  of  course." 

"You  have  the  name  perfect,"  answered  Joy 
quietly. 

"Of  Harrow  Fell,  Westmorland,  England?"  in- 
quired the  corporal. 

"He  was  born  there,"  replied  the  girl,  "and  Sir 
James  is  his  father,  as  you  are  his  cousin." 

The  corporal  walked  on  a  few  paces  without 
speaking,  his  eyes  staring  at  a  distant  hill,  and  from 
the  vacancy  of  their  gaze  it  was  evident  that  he 
was  lost  in  thought.  Joy  Gargrave  watched  him 
curiously,  and,  after  a  little  time,  she  spoke  again. 

"You  did  not  know — you  did  not  guess  until  you 
saw  that  note?" 

"I  had  not  the  slightest  idea.  I  knew  that  Koona 
Dick  was  an  Englishman — that  was  all.  But  when 
I  read  the  note  last  night,  and  recalled  your  acknowl- 

[46] 


A  REVELATION 

edged  acquaintance  with  Harrow  Fell  and  Sir  James, 
I  suspected." 

"If  you  had  known  you  would  not  have  under- 
taken to  follow  him — to  take  him  prisoner,  I  mean?" 

"I  could  not  very  well  have  refused,  without  re- 
signing from  the  force.  Perhaps  you  know  how 
the  oath  of  allegiance  runs?" 

Joy  shook  her  head,  and  he  quoted — "And  will 
well  and  truly  obey  and  perform  all  lawful  orders 
'and  instructions,  which  I  shall  receive  as  such, 
without  fear,  favour  or  affection  of  or  towards  any 
person.  So  help  me,  God!" 

The  girl  shivered  a  little.  "It  is  a  hard  service, 
yours,"  she  said.  "And  you  would  have  arrested 
your  cousin?" 

"My  cousin,  or  any  other  man — or  woman.  I 
have  no  choice  in  the  matter.  Duty,  after  all,  is 
the  greatest  word  in  the  language." 

Joy  considered  him  thoughtfully.  His  lean  face 
was  stern,  and  there  was  a  hard  light  in  the  unwav- 
ering grey  eyes.  It  was  clear  to  her  that  he  meant 
just  what  he  said,  and  that  he  would  do  whatever 
duty  dictated  without  fear  or  favour. 

"It  is  not  every  one  who  would  agree  with  you," 
she  replied.  "Your  cousin,  for  instance,  he — " 

"Tell  me,"  he  interrupted.  "What  was  ^  Dick 
Bracknell  to  you?  This  letter  suggests  an  intimacy 
beyond  that  of  mere  acquaintance  or  friendship." 

"You  are  right,"  the  girl  answered  quickly.  "He 
was  my  husband." 

"Good  God!" 

As  that  expression  of  extreme  amazement  broke 
from  him,  Corporal  Bracknell  halted  abruptly, 

[47] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

looking  at  the  beautiful  girl  by  his  side,  with  incred- 
ulous eyes. 

"It  is  quite  true,"  she  said.  "I  am  Koona  Dick's 
wife — or  widow." 

Still  he  did  not  speak,  and  watching  him  the  girl 
saw  a  flash  of  something  like  horror  come  into  his 
eyes. 

"And  you  went  to  meet  him — last  night?"  he 
said,  at  lastf  in  a  shaking  voice. 

"I  have  not  said  so,"  answered  the  girl  quickly. 
"You  have  read  that  note,  but  you  must  not  sur- 
mise— " 

"I  saw  you,"  broke  in  the  corporal  quickly. 

"You  saw  me?"  It  was  Joy  Gargrave's  turn 
to  be  astonished,  and  as  he  looked  at  her  it  seemed 
to  him  that  fear  was  shining  in  her  eyes. 

"Yes,  I  saw  you,"  he  answered  mechanically. 

"Where?"  she  demanded. 

"You  were  coming  out  of  the  path  between  the 
woods.  You  had  a  rifle  in  your  hand.  There  was 
a  strange  look  upon  your  face.  I  was  standing 
with  my  dogs  in  the  shadow  of  a  spruce  and  you 
passed  me  without  seeing  me.  I  was  about  to  speak 
to  you,  but  the  sight  of  your  face  kept  me  silent. 
It  was  that,  and  the  thought  of  two  shots  which 
I  had  heard,  which  sent  me  along  the  path  you 
had  just  left  to  investigate.  At  the  end  of  it,  I 
found  Koona  Dick!" 

"Dead?"  asked  the  girl  sharply. 

"He  seemed  so  to  me !"  was  the  reply.  "Indeed, 
I  was  quite  sure  that  there  was  no  life  left  in  him, 
or  I  should  have  done  my  best  to  revive  him,  and 
not  have  left  him  lying  there  in  the  snow." 

[48] 


A  REVELATION 

"If  he  were  dead,  where  is  he  now?"  came  the 
swift  question. 

"I  do  not  know,"  replied  the  corporal.  'The 
thing  is  a  mystery  to  me.  When  I  returned  to  the 
place  with  Mr.  Rayner  last  night  the  body  had 
already  disappeared." 

"But  how  could  it  do  that,  if  he  were  really 
dead?"  objected  his  companion. 

"Some  one  must  have  removed — "  Corporal 
Bracknell  stopped  suddenly. 

It  was  clear  to  Joy  that  some  new  thought  had 
just  occurred  to  him.  She  saw  that  he  was  looking 
at  her  thoughtfully,  and  she  wondered  what  was  in 
his  mind. 

"What  is  it?"  she  asked  quickly.  "What  are 
you  thinking?" 

"Tell  me,"  he  countered,  "did  you  see  your 
husband  last  night?" 

"I  did,"  she  answered  frankly. 

"And  when  I  had  said  that  Koona  Dick  was 
lying  dead  in  the  snow,  you  left  the  table.  You 
went  out  of  the  room,  and  you  did  not  return." 

He  spoke  like  a  man  pursuing  a  thought  which 
seemed  to  him  almost  incredible,  but  which  was 
thrust  upon  him  by  force  of  circumstances,  and  the 
girl  divined  what  that  thought  was. 

"You  do  not  think  that  I  went  back?"  she  cried. 
"You  cannot  think  that  I  am  responsible  for  the 
disappearance?" 

"It  is  a  natural  thought,"  he  answered,  "though 
I  am  loathe  to  believe  it.  You  must  remember  that 
I  saw  your  face  as  you  came  out  of  the  path;  and 
that  the  man  was  your  husband,  though  apparently 

[49] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

your  friends  do  not  know  it.  My  cousin — your 
husband — " 

"Oh!  but  you  do  not  understand!"  cried  the 
girl  quickly.  "You  do  not  realize  that  I  would 
give  all  I  have  to  know  that  the  body  of  the  man 
who  was  my  husband  was  still  where  you  first  saw 
it.  It  is  the  uncertainty  of  the  fact  which  troubles 
and  worries  me,  and  not  his  death." 

"Not  his  death!" 

"No!"  was  the  almost  appalling  reply.  "The 
certainty  of  that  would  be  like  a  deliverance." 

For  a  little  time  Corporal  Bracknell  stared  at  her, 
too  much  amazed  for  speech.  It  was  clear  to  him 
that  she  was  in  deadly  earnest  and  that  she  meant 
every  word  she  said.  He  wondered  what  marital 
tragedy  was  behind  her  attitude,  and  was  still  won- 
dering, when  she  spoke  again  in  a  hard  voice. 

"You  seem  surprised,"  she  said;  "you  know 
your  cousin  fairly  well?" 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  nodding  his  head. 

"Then  you  cannot  suppose  that  I  loved  him, 
even  though  he  was  my  husband!  No  girl  could 
love  Dick  Bracknell  when  she  knew  him  for  what 
he  was,  and  any  woman,  married  as  I  was,  would 
almost  rejoice  to  know  that — that  she  was  released." 

"You  do  not  know  what  you  are  saying,"  pro- 
tested the  corporal  quickly.  "You  cannot  realize 
what  implication  your  words  may  have  to  any  one 
who  knows  what  I  know.  It  would  almost  seem 
that  you  had  wished  for  Dick  Bracknell's  death,  and 
that  fact  in  view  of  the  circumstances  in  which  I 
found  him  last  night  might  assume  a  terrible  sig- 
nificance." 

[5°] 


A  REVELATION 

"You  mean  that  people  might  think  I  shot  my 
husband?" 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply.  "At  least  many  people 
would  ask  that  question." 

"And  you?"  inquired  the  girl.  "You  have  asked 
yourself  that  question?" 

"Naturally,"  replied  Bracknell.  "You  must  re- 
member  that  I  saw  you  coming  from  the  place  where 
he  was  lying." 

"I  wonder  what  conclusion  you  have  reached," 
said  Joy,  looking  at  him  keenly. 

"None,"  was  the  prompt  reply. 

"You  are  in  doubt,  then?" 

"I  am  very  loath  to  believe  what  the  circum- 
stances would  seem  to  indicate,"  answered  the  cor- 
poral quietly.  "As  you  must  see,  they  are  terribly 
against  you,  and  your  visit  to  the  place  this  morn- 
ing—" ' 

"You  know  of  that?" 

"I  saw  you  and  Miss  La  Farge  come  in  whilst 
Mr.  Rayner  and  I  were  at  breakfast,  and  whilst 
you  were  supposed  to  be  still  in  your  rooms.  I 
found  your  tracks  in  the  snow." 

"And  you  cannot  guess  why  I — why  we  went?" 

"No." 

"We  went  to  look  for  that  note  which  you  showed 
me  just  now.  I  had  meant  to  destroy  it,  and 
missed  it  this  morning.  Then  I  remembered  that 
I  had  put  it  in  my  pocket  last  night,  and  naturally 
concluded  that  I  had  lost  it  outside.  That  is  the 
explanation  of  the  journey  this  morning.  No  one 
here  but  Miss  La  Farge  has  any  idea  that  Dick 
Bracknell  is  my  husband,  and  I  did  not  want  any 
of  them  to  know." 

[51] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Corporal  Bracknell  was  conscious  of  a  sense  of 
relief.  The  explanation  was  so  simple  that  he  felt 
it  to  be  altogether  true.  But  there  were  questions 
that  still  required  answering,  and  he  proceeded  to 
ask  them. 

"I  can  well  believe,  that,"  he  answered  slowly. 
"I  suppose  Mr.  Rayner  was  among  them  from 
whom  you  wished  to  keep  this  knowledge?" 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply,  given  frankly.  "I 
did!  not  wish  him  to  know  how  foolish  I  had  been." 

The  corporal  remembered  what  Rayner  had 
hinted  as  to  his  hopes  of  making  Joy  Gargrave  his 
wife,  and  the  girl's  answer  started  fresh  questions  in 
his  mind.  Did  she  love  Rayner  and  favour  his 
aspirations,  and  knowing  herself  to  be  already  a 
wife,  had  she  deliberately  removed  the  barrier 
which  lay  between  them,  but  of  which  Rayner  had 
no  knowledge?  He  could  not  tell,  and  looking 
steadily  at  the  girl  he  proceeded  to  ask  his  next 
question. 

"Miss  Gargrave — I  mean  Mrs.  Brack — " 

"No!  No!"  interrupted  the  girl.  "Do  not  give 
me  that  name.  I  do  not  want  it.  I  hate  it. 
Call  me  Gargrave." 

He  bowed.  "As  you  please,  Miss  Gargrave. 
There  is  a  question  I  wish  to  ask  you.  Tell 
me,  did  you  have  speech  with  Dick  Bracknell  last 
night?" 

"Not  a  word." 

"But  you  saw  him?" 

"Yes,"  she  agreed  quietly.     "I  saw  him." 

"You  stood  in  the  shadow  of  the  trees  at  a  point 
which  would  give  you  a  clear  view  of  the  place 


A  REVELATION 

where  you  knew  your  husband  would!  be  waiting 
for  you,  and  you  took  a  rifle  with  you.  Why  did 
you  take  that  rifle,  Miss  Gargrave?" 

As  he  asked  that  question  he  saw  the  pallor  of 
the  beautiful  face  grow  more  pronounced.  The 
frank  blue  eyes  wavered,  and  for  a  second  or  two 
he  thought  she  was  going  to  faint.  Then  she  drew 
a  quick,  gasping  breath. 

"You  know  these  woods,"  she  said  unsteadily. 
"There  are  wolves  and — and  bears.  To  carry  a 
rifle  is  the  merest  prudence." 

A  frown  came  on  the  corporal's  face.  He  knew 
that  the  answer  was  a  mere  evasion,  and  he  was 
not  pleased.  But  he  did  not  challenge  the  answer 
directly. 

"Miss  Gargrave,"  he  asked,  "were  you  afraid  of 
Dick  Bracknell?" 

"Not  afraid,  exactly,"  was  the  reply  candidly 
given,  "but  I  loathed  him,  and  hated  the  thought 
of  his  coming  into  my  life  again." 

The  corporal  considered  for  a  few  seconds,  and 
then  asked  his  next  question  bluntly. 

"Tell  me,  did  you  fire  your  rifle  at  all  whilst  you 
were  out,  or  whilst  you  were  waiting  for  your 
husband?" 

As  he  made  the  inquiry  the  girl  came  to  a  sudden 
standstill,  her  lips  trembling,  her  pale  face  working 
strangely,  the  blue  eyes  expressive  of  awful  fear. 
He  waited  in  far  more  distress  than  his  impassive 
face  indicated,  and  at  last  the  answer  came  in  a 
shaking  whisper. 

"Yes,  I  did.  But,  oh,  believe  me,  I — I  did  not 
know  that  I  had  done  so  till  afterwards:  I  do  not 

[53] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

know  what  happened.  ...  I  saw  him  fall  in  the 
snow,  and  I  waited.  Then  I  went  up  to  him.  He 
seemed  to  be  dead — and  after  that  I  must  have  fled 
homeward." 

As  he  listened  the  corporal  visioned  the  tragedy 
of  the  night  before,  and  as  he  looked  into  her 
troubled  face,  his  heart  smote  him.  His  voice  was 
almost  sympathetic  as  he  asked  the  next  question. 

"You  say  you  saw  your  husband  fall?  Was  it 
after  your  rifle  was  discharged  or  before?" 

"I — do  not  know,"  the  girl  replied.  "This 
morning  the  whole  thing  is  like  a  disordered  night- 
mare dimly  remembered.  I  know  there  was  a 
moment  when  I  was  tempted  to  wickedness. 
There  was  a  terrible  hatred  in  my  heart  for  my 
husband,  and  as  I  saw  him  standing  there,  it  flashed 
on  me  how  easy  it  would  be  to  free  myself  from 
him  for  ever.  It  was  only  a  moment — like  a  sudden 
madness,  and  then  I  saw  him  drop  in  the  snow.  .  .  . 
I  do  not  know  what  happened,  but  this  morning  I 
examined  my  rifle." 

Her  voice  quivered  and  failed,  and  suddenly  she 
bent  her  face  in  her  mittened  hand  and  broke  into 
a  storm  of  weeping.  The  corporal  himself  was 
greatly  moved  by  her  distress,  but  the  sight  of  it 
somehow  relieved  his  worst  fears. 

"Miss  Gargrave,"  he  said  hopefully,  "you  ex- 
amined your  rifle  this  morning.  Tell  me  what 
you  found?" 

"An  empty  shell  in  the  chamber,"  said  the  girl, 
sobbing  bitterly. 

"Yes,"  he  said  quickly,  a  touch  of  excitement  in 

[54] 


A  REVELATION 

his  manner,  "and  in  the  magazine?  Tell  me, 
quick." 

"There  was  a  full  clip — but  for  the  shell  which 
had  been  fired." 

"Ah!"  said  Bracknell  with  a  sigh  of  relief.  "I 
thought  so.  Now  think  carefully,  and  tell  me,  did 
you  hear  another  shot  fired?" 

The  trouble  in  the  girl's  face  cleared  suddenly, 
and  a  light  of  hope  flashed  in  her  eyes.  "Why  do 
you  ask?"  she  cried.  "I  thought  I  did,  but  this 
morning  I  could  not  be  sure.  I  thought  it  might 
be  the  echo  of  my  own  rifle — " 

"It  was  not  an  echo,"  interrupted  the  corporal 
quickly.  "It  was  the  discharge  of  a  rifle.  I  was 
a  little  distance  away,  and  I  distinctly  heard  the 
reports,  one  so  close  on  the  heels  of  the  other  that 
the  two  seemed  almost  like  one." 

Wonder  mingled  with  the  hope  in  the  girl's  face. 

"You  are  sure,"  she  cried.  "Yes!  Then  there 
must  have  been  some  one  else,  some  one  who  fired 
at  my  husband,  and  perhaps  I  did  not  kill  him  after 
all.  Oh !  thank  God !  Thank  God !  I  hated  him, 
and  though  I  was  tempted,  it  was  only  a  flaming 
moment  of  madness,  from  which  I  was  saved.  You 
think  that?  Say  you  think  that,  Mr.  Bracknell?" 

"Indeed  I  do,"  answered  the  corporal  reassur- 
ingly, "I  feel  convinced  of  it.  At  first  I  was  doubt- 
ful, and  will  own  I  suspected  you.  But  your  frank- 
ness in  the  matter  has  set  the  whole  affair  in  a  new 
light." 

A  thoughtful  look  came  on  his  face.  For  a  full 
minute  he  stood  there  without  speaking,  and  the 

[55] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

girl  watched  him,  wondering  what  was  in  his  mind. 
Then  he  spoke  again. 

"The  affair  is  very  mysterious.  There  certainly 
were  two  reports  and  one  only  came  from  your 
rifle.  It  is  evident  to  me  that  a  third  person  was 
in  the  neighbourhood  when  your  husband  was  shot. 
I  have  found  the  place  where  he  stood,  and  I  was 
following  the  track  of  a  sled,  when  I  came  upon 
you  just  now.  The  track  is  a  fairly  recent  one, 
made,  I  should  say,  no  later  than  last  night." 

"Possibly  it  was  my  husband's  team,"  suggested 
the  girl. 

The  corporal  nodded.  "That  of  course  is  just 
possible,  but  the  man  who  took  it  away  cannot 
have  been  Dick  Bracknell.  If  he  were  not  dead 
— and  I  am  sure  he  was — he  certainly  was  in  no 
condition  to  walk  away.  And  the  team  did  not 
go  away  of  itself,  for  there  is  the  track  of  a  man's 
feet,  both  going  and  returning." 

"If  he  should  not  be  dead — "  faltered  the 
girl.  The  corporal  looked  at  her,  and  the  sight 
of  her  distress  moved  him  to  a  deeper  sympathy. 
He  knew  his  cousin,  and  Koona  Dick's  record  in 
the  territory  was  not  an  attractive  one.  He  won- 
dered how  this  beautiful  girl  had  been  induced  to 
marry  Dick  Bracknell,  and  frowned  at  the  thought 
that  if  he  were  not  dead,  she  was  still  his  wife.  The 
girl  noticed  the  frown. 

"What  are  you  thinking,  Mr.  Bracknell?" 

"I  was  wondering  however  you  came  to  marry 
such  a  scally-wag  as  I  know  Dick  Bracknell  to  have 
been." 

Joy  Gargrave  flushed  and  then  grew  pale.     "I 

[56] 


A  REVELATION 

am  not  surprised  that  you  should  wonder.  .  .  . 
If  you  will  walk  on  I  will  tell  you  how — how  it 
happened." 

Without  speaking  he  fell  into  step  by  her  side, 
and  waited  for  her  to  begin. 


[57] 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  A  STORY 

A  LITTLE  time  passed  before  the  girl  spoke, 
and  Corporal  Bracknell,  to  avoid  embar- 
rassing her,  looked  steadily  at  the  snowy 
waste  ahead.  The  frozen  river,  bordered  by  the 
sombre  pinewoods,  was  visible  for  some  two  miles, 
and  where  it  turned  round  a  high  rampart  of  the 
cliff,  a  moving  figure,  clearly  visible  on  the  snow, 
caught  his  eyes.  He  watched  it  attentively  as  it 
came  to  a  halt,  and  wondered  idly  who  it  might  be. 
A  wandering  Indian  possibly,  or — The  girl's 
voice  broke  on  his  speculations. 

"I  met  your  cousin  first,  whilst  I  was  staying 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Harrow  Fell.  There  was  a 
shooting  party,  and  Dick  Bracknell  made  himself 
very  agreeable  to  me.  You  are  to  understand  that 
I  was  rather  lonely,  and  that  I  was  new  to  English 
ways,  having  lived  most  of  my  life  up  here." 

She  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  Corporal  Brack- 
nell nodded. 

"I  think  I  understand  how  you  must  have  felt, 
Miss  Gargrave,  and  I  know  that  Dick  could  make 
himself  attractive." 

As  he  spoke  his  eyes  looked  in  the  direction  of 
the  bluff  where  the  river  turned.  The  small  black 
figure  which  he  had  observed  was  moving  again, 
and  if  he  were  not  mistaken  was  coming  down  the 

[58] 


THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  A  STORY; 

river.     He  kept  an  observant  eye  upon  it,  whilst 
his  companion  resumed. 

"You  are  quite  right.  All  the  vacation,  which  I 
spent  in  Westmorland,  your  cousin  was  very  atten- 
tive to  me,  and  knowing  that  he  was  Sir  James 
Bracknell's  heir,  I  was  flattered  by  his  attentions, 
and  a  little  proud  that  he  should  find  me  attractive, 
when  there  were  others  who — who  might  have 
meant  more  to  him." 

"You  were  too  humble,  Miss  Gargrave,"  said  the 
corporal. 

"Perhaps  I  was,"  replied  the  girl,  smiling  wanly. 
"But  that  is  how  I  felt  at  the  time.  ...  At  the 
end  of  the  autumn,  just  before  I  went  back  to 
Newnham  for  the  Michaelmas  term,  he  proposed  to 
me." 

Again  for  a  moment  she  was  silent,  and  the  cor- 
poral glancing  at  her  caught  a  pensive  look  upon 
her  face,  and  guessed  that  she  was  reviewing  that 
occasion  in  her  mind.  He  waited  for  what  seemed 
quite  a  long  time,  then  he  said  encouragingly, 
"Yes?" 

"I  did  not  accept  him  then." 

"Why  not?" 

"For  two  reasons;  the  first  because  I  was  not 
quite  sure  that  I  loved  him,  and  the  second  because 
I  was  not  prepared  to  take  such  a  step  without  first 
consulting  my  father." 

"They  were  both  very  excellent  reasons." 

"So  they  seemed  to  me,  but  Lady  Alcombe,  under 
whose  care  I  was  whilst  in  England,  did  not  agree 
with  me." 

"You  were  under  the  care  of  Lady  Alcombe?" 

[59] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

There  was  an  accent  of  surprise  in  the  young 
man's  voice,  which  the  girl  was  quick  to  note. 

"You  know  her?"  she  asked  quickly.  "You 
are  surprised  that  I  should  have  been  under  her 
chaperonage ?" 

"Yes,"  he  admitted  frankly.  "I  know  Lady 
Alcombe,  and  I  know  her  set.  It  is  a  fast  and 
exclusive  one.  I  am  a  little  surprised  that  any  one 
should  have  selected  her  to  chaperone  a  young  girl." 

"My  father  did  not  understand,"  was  the  quick 
reply.  "He  had  known  Lady  Alcombe  before  her 
marriage,  and  she  was  a  distant  relation  of  ours. 
He  did  not  know  the  set  to  which  she  belonged,  and 
it  was  perhaps  natural  that  he  should  have  looked 
to  her  to  watch  over  me.  .  .  .  For  myself,  I  was 
young,  I  had  no  experience,  and  though  there  were 
things  that  I  did  not  understand,  things  that  shocked 
me,  I  did  not  mention  them  to  my  father,  or  indeed 
to  any  one." 

"And  Lady  Alcombe  approved  of  my  cousin 
Dick?" 

"She  did.  She  laughed  at  my  scruples,  and 
urged  me  to  accept  him,  declaring  that  my  father 
would  be  only  too  ready  to  see  me  the  wife  of  a  man 
who  would  some  day  be  the  Squire  of  Harrow  Fell. 
But  I  did  not  yield — then.  I  knew  there  was 
plenty  of  time,  and  as  my  father  was  expecting  to 
visit  England  a  few  months  later,  I  said  that  I  would 
wait  until  he  arrived." 

"And  afterwards?"  asked  the  corporal. 

"Afterwards!"  A  tragic  look  came  on  the  girl's 
face,  and  to  his  surprise  she  broke  again  into  tears. 

He  waited  patiently,  and  as  he  did  so  noted  that 

[60] 


THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  A  STORY 

the  figure  up  the  river  was  certainly  drawing  nearer. 
After  a  little  time  the  girl  recovered  her  composure, 
and  when  she  resumed  there  was  a  tragic  note  in  her 
voice. 

"I  was  very  ignorant,  and  your  cousin  and  Lady 
Alcombe  presumed  upon  my  ignorance.  I  was  to 
stay  with  her  at  Alcombe  Manor  for  the  Christmas 
season,  and  towards  the  end  of  the  term  she  sent 
word  that  she  and  Dick  were  going  to  fetch  me  by 
car,  as  the  rail  journey  was  rather  an  awkward 
one.  .  .  .  When  the  day  came,  your  cousin  showed 
up  alone,  explaining  that  Lady  Alcombe  had  an 
attack  of  influenza  which,  of  course,  had  made  it 
impossible  for  her  to  accompany  him.  It  was  all 
so  natural  that  I  thought  nothing  of  it  until  after- 
wards, and  I  set  out  on  the  journey  accompanied 
only  by  your  cousin." 

A  stern  look  came  on  the  corporal's  face,  though 
the  girl,  looking  straight  ahead  and  absorbed  in  her 
thoughts,  did  not  notice  it. 

"We  missed  the  way,  and  went  astray,  I  say 
missed  the  way,  though  now  I  am  quite  sure  that  it 
was  done  of  deliberate  purpose,  and  that  your  cousin 
knew  our  whereabouts  all  the  time.  It  began  to 
snow,  and  late  in  the  evening  we  reached  a  little 
village  in  Wiltshire  when  something  went  wrong 
with  the  engine.  I  do  not  believe  now  that  there 
was  anything  at  all  the  matter  with  the  car,  but 
Dick  said  there  was,  and  as  it  was  impossible  to 
proceed  further,  and  there  was  no  train  service  on 
the  little  local  line  five  miles  away,  there  was  nothing 
for  it  but  to  stay  the  night  at  the  little  inn,  half 
tavern,  half  farm,  which  was  all  the  accommodation 


,THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

that  the  village  afforded.  .  .  .  There  was  a  moth- 
erly woman  there  who  did  her  best  to  make  me  com- 
fortable, and  I  shared  a  room  with  her  two  daugh- 
ters, whilst  your  cousin  was  accommodated  with  a 
settle  in  the  kitchen.  Next  morning,  Dick  tinkered 
at  the  car,  and  about  noon  we  started  afresh,  and 
reached  the  Manor  just  before  dinner  time.  .  .  . 
Lady  Alcombe,  who  had  apparently  recovered  from 
her  influenza,  was  in  a  great  state  of  perturbation, 
and  when  I  entered  the  hall,  where  a  number  of 
guests  were  assembled,  she  rushed  to  me.  'My 
dear  Joy,'  she  cried,  'where  have  you  been?  I 
have  been  worried  almost  to  death  about  you,  and 
have  been  telegraphing  and  telephoning  all  over  the 
place.' 

"I  laughingly  explained,  and  whilst  I  was  doing 
so,  one  of  the  men  gave  a  whistle  of  surprise,  and  a 
girl  whom  I  had  never  liked  began  to  giggle.  Lady 
Alcombe  allowed  me  to  finish  my  explanation,  there 
before  all  her  guests,  then  she  said  icily — 

"  'After  so  many  adventures  you  must  be  tired. 
You  had  better  go  to  your  room.  I  will  come  to 
you. 

"As  I  went,  I  knew  there  was  something  wrong 
somewhere.  One  or  two  of  the  men  looked  at  me 
in  an  unpleasant  way,  and  the  girl  whom  I  have 
mentioned  was  giggling  hatefully.  .  .  .  Lady  Al- 
combe came  to  me  before  I  had  changed,  and 
ordered  the  maid  out  of  the  room,  then  she  said, 
'My  dear  Joy,  you  have  behaved  most  indiscreetly. 
...  I  do  not  know  what  to  say.  .  .  .  what  to 
think.  And  to  tell  a  story  like  that  before  all  those 

[62] 


THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  A  STORY; 

people  not  one  of  whom  will  believe  it !     It  is  dread- 
ful, positively  dreadful!' 

"I  was  bewildered.  I  did  not  know  what  was 
wrong,  and  I  said  so,  adding  that  I  had  only  told 
the  simple  truth. 

'They  will  not  believe  it,'  she  said.  'You  and 
Dick  will  be  the  talk  of  the  place.  I  really  do  not 
know  what  to  say.  I  am  surprised  at  Dick  Brack- 
nell,  and  at  you  for  being  so  simple  as  to  tell.  .  .  . 
That  Jolivet  girl  was  openly  laughing  at  you.' 

"Her  tone  and  manner  told  me  better  than  her 
words  the  vile  thing  she  was  hinting  at,  and  when  I 
realized  it,  I  broke  down  and  cried." 

She  paused,  and  as  the  corporal  recalled  what 
Lady  Alcombe  was,  and  visioned  that  scene  between 
the  fast  woman  of  the  world  and  the  innocent  girl 
in  her  care,  he  ground  his  teeth,  and  looked  away 
from  the  beautiful  face  which  was  working  with 
emotion. 

"...  When  I  did  that  Lady  Alcombe  changed 
her  tone.  'There's  only  one  thing  to  do,'  she  said, 
'and  that  is  to  make  the  best  of  it.  Thank  good- 
ness !  Dick  is  over  head  and  ears  in  love  with  you, 
and,  as  you  know,  he  is  only  too  anxious  to  marry 
you.  You  will  have  to  take  him  now — to  save  your 
good  name,  Joy.  It  is  the  only  way,  for  no  one  will 
believe  your  story,  however  true  it  may  be,  and  so 
I  advise  you  to  make  up  your  mind  to  the  inevitable. 
„  .  .  Things  might  be  a  great  deal  worse.  Dick 
will  be  a  baronet  some  day,  and  his  wife  will  have  a 
position  that  no  one  will  challenge.  Just  think  it 
over,  my  dear,  and  you  will  see  that  I  am  altogether 
right.' 

[63] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"I  did  think  it  over,"  said  the  girl  slowly,  "and 
in  the  end  I  agreed  to  marry  Dick  privately,  making 
up  my  mind  to  explain  the  matter  to  my  father, 
later.  What  else  was  there  that  I  could  do  ?  I  had 
no  suspicion  of  anything  at  the  time.  Dick  wanted 
me,  and  I  liked  him,  whilst  there  were  people  at 
Alcombe  who  did  not  fail  to  let  me  see  what  they 
thought,  and  Lady  Alcombe  did  not  stint  persua- 
sion." 

"When  did  you  find  out  that  the  delay  in  arriving 
at  Alcombe  was  anything  but  an  accident?"  asked 
the  corporal  thoughtfully. 

"On  the  very  morning  I  was  married.  We  had 
returned  from  the  church,  just  Dick  and  myself  and 
Lady  Alcombe,  and  I  was  in  the  library  writing  a 
note  to  a  friend  at  Newnham,  when  I  heard  two 
people  enter.  The  library  is  a  little  draughty,  and 
a  footman  had  placed  a  screen  for  me,  and  this  com- 
pletely hid  me  from  any  one  entering  at  the  door. 
The  two  who  entered  were  Lady  Alcombe  and  Dick. 
I  heard  her  laugh  and  say — 

"  'You  owe  me  five  thousand  pounds,  Dick.  I 
hope  you  won't  be  very  long  in  paying,  for  the  truth 
is,  I  am  beastly  hard  up,  and  I  daren't  ask  Sir  Alfred 
for  a  penny  at  the  present  time.' 

"Dick  laughed  also,  and  I  caught  his  answer. 
'As  soon  as  that  old  duffer  in  the  Klondyke  makes 
his  settlements  I'll  pay  you,  Mary.  You  deserve 
it.  That  was  a  pretty  little  scheme  of  yours,  and 
it  has  gone  like  clockwork.  .  .  .' 

"It  came  on  me  like  a  flash  then.  I  saw  how 
everything  had  been  arranged,  and  how  I  had  been 
trapped  and  hustled  into  marrying  your  cousin. 

[64] 


In  that  moment  I  hated  him,  and  I  have  done  so 
ever  since.  ...  I  sat  there  too  startled  to  make 
my  presence  known,  and  after  a  little  time  they 
went  out,  without  learning  that  I  had  overheard 
them.  I  continued  to  sit  there  thinking.  I  scarcely 
knew  what  to  do.  It  was  arranged  that  we  were 
to  go  to  Paris  for  the  honeymoon;  and  I  was  afraid 
that  they  would  somehow  make  me  accept  that 
arrangement,  and  bewildered  though  I  was,  I  was 
determined  that  I  would  not  do  so,  that  I  would 
never  allow  Dick  Bracknell  to  be  in  fact  what  he 
was  in  name.  ...  I  went  to  my  room,  secured  my 
travelling  coat  and  some  money,  and  fled  from  the 
house,  without  leaving  so  much  as  a  note  to  indicate 
where  I  was  going — I  went  to  Cambridge  to  the 
friend  to  whom  I  had  been  writing,  and  who  was 
staying  there  reading  through  the  vacation.  I  told 
her  everything,  and  on  her  advice  wrote  to  Lady 
Alcombe,  explaining  the  situation,  and  averring 
that  I  would  never  live  with  Dick  Bracknell.  In 
reply  I  got  a  telegram  from  him  saying  that  he 
would  be  down  to  see  me  the  next  day,  and  praying 
me  to  grant  him  an  interview.  He  never  came. 
Something  happened  and  he  had  to  leave  England. 
Do  you  know  what  it  was?  I  have  never  heard." 

"Yes,"  answered  the  corporal  slowly.  "I  know, 
and  I  think  it  is  only  right  that  you  should  know. 
You  knew  perhaps  that  Dick  was  in  the  Artillery?" 

"Yes !"  answered  the  girl. 

"He  was  interested  in  his  job.  He  was  a  good 
officer.  It  is  the  one  thing  to  his  credit  that  I  know. 
There  was  a  new  gun,  and  he  had  access  to  the  plans. 
He  stole  a  copy,  and  sold  them  to  the  agent 

[65] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

of  a  foreign  government.  The  theft  was  dis- 
covered and  traced,  but  a  friend  dropped  Dick 
a  telegram  which  was  forwarded  to  Alcombe  Manor 
— and  he  ran  for  it,  and  got  clear  away.  I  imagine 
that  explains  why  he  did  not  visit  you  at  Cambridge. 
Of  course,  the  affair  was  hushed  up,  as  such  affairs 
are,  and  it  is  nearly  forgotten  now,  though  England 
would  not  be  a  safe  place  for  him.  Did  you  ever 
hear  from  him  afterwards?" 

"Not  until  last  night,"  was  the  reply.  "When 
his  note  came  to  me,  it  was  a  great  shock." 

The  corporal  nodded.  "I  can  readily  imagine 
that  it  would  be.  ...  Did  your  father  ever  know 
of  your  marriage?" 

"No,  thank  God!  I  wrote  to  him,  but  before 
he  received  the  letter  the  accident  occurred  by  which 
he  lost  his  life.  I  found  the  letter  here  unopened, 
when  I  came  here  to  comply  with  the  terms  of  his 
will.  I  was  glad  to  get  here.  I  was  so  overborne 
by  the  deceit  and  vileness  of  those  I  had  thought 
were  my  friends  in  England  1" 

"They  were  not  all  deceitful,  surely?"  expostu- 
lated the  young  man. 

"No!  Some  are  my  friends  still.  I  am  going 
to  England  very  shortly,  and  I  shall  stay  with  one 
of  them  in  Westmorland." 

"Will  you  ever  return  here?" 

"Most  certainly.  North  Star  is  my  home — I 
love  it,  and  I  have  always  felt  myself  safe  here — 
until  last  night." 

Bracknell  understood  that  she  meant  that  she 
had  felt  that  in  this  lodge  in  the  wilderness  she  was 
safe  from  his  cousin,  and  nodded  his  head. 

[66] 


THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  A  STORY 

"I  understand,"  he  said,  but  forbore  to  add  what 
was  in  his  mind;  namely,  that  if  Dick  Bracknell 
had  not  died  on  the  previous  night,  North  Star 
would  be  no  longer  the  sanctuary  it  had  been. 

They  walked  forward  for  a  moment  without 
speaking.  A  rise  in  the  ground  covered  with  snow- 
laden  saskatoon  bushes  hid  the  river  from  them  for 
a  little  time,  and  as  they  breasted  it,  and  the  river 
came  into  view  again,  they  surprised  a  pedestrian 
climbing  up  the  bank.  It  was  Mr.  Rayner. 

He  was  obviously  a  little  startled  by  the  meeting, 
but  a  moment  later  recovered  himself. 

"Been  out  for  a  constitutional,"  he  explained, 
"as  far  as  the  bend  of  the  river,  and  I've  had  quite 
sufficient.  Are  you  ready  to  return?" 

The  girl  nodded,  but  the  corporal,  whose  eyes 
were  surveying  the  empty  landscape  in  front,  shook 
his  head. 

"I  shall  walk  on  a  little,"  he  said,  "I  may  be  going 
up  stream  tomorrow.  The  Elk-horn  falls  in  some- 
where about  here,  doesn't  it?" 

"Just  beyond  the  bluff  there,"  answered  Joy. 

"Then  I'll  take  a  look  at  it,  and  see  what  the 
trail  is  like." 

He  nodded  and  walked  on  leaving  Joy  Gargrave 
to  return  with  Rayner.  He  waited  until  they  were 
out  of  sight  and  then  descended  to  the  frozen  sur- 
face of  the  river,  where  the  going  was  easier,  the 
trail  having  been  packed  by  prospectors  moving  up 
and  down.  He  reached  the  bluff  in  a  short  time, 
but  did  not  go  round  it.  His  gaze  was  arrested  by 
the  trail  of  a  sled  which  had  come  down  the  bank 
to  the  river  at  a  point  just  below  the  bluff,  and  by 

[67] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

recent  footmarks.  He  remembered  the  figure  he 
had  seen  whilst  walking  with  Joy  Gargrave,  unques- 
tionably that  of  Rayner,  for  there  were  his  foot- 
marks turning  south  from  the  bluff.  A  thought 
struck  him,  and  examining  the  snow  carefully,  he 
found  no  tracks  running  northward.  A  little  puz- 
zled he  looked  at  the  sled  trail  again,  and  there  made 
the  discovery  that  the  single  footmarks  that  ran  side 
by  side  with  the  sled-trail,  had  been  made  not  by 
one  pair  of  feet  but  by  two,  some  one  having  quite 
recently  adapted  his  stride  to  the  tracks  already 
made.  Puzzled  and  interested  he  followed  the  sled 
trail  up  the  bank  and  began  to  trace  it  through  the 
wood  at  the  top. 

An  hour  later,  still  following  the  sled-trail  he 
struck  the  river  again,  and  found  himself  exactly 
opposite  the  landing  which  led  to  North  Star  Lodge. 
As  he  realized  this  he  nodded  thoughtfully.  The 
sled  trail  he  had  been  following,  when  he  had 
encountered  Joy  Gargrave,  led  directly  across  the 
river.  But  whose  sled  was  it?  And  why  had 
Rayner  traced  it  so  carefully,  at  the  same  time  en- 
deavouring to  cover  his  own  trail?  The  first  ques- 
tion was  one  for  which  he  had  no  answer,  and  the 
second  was  an  equal  puzzle.  Clearly  Rayner  had 
been  interested  in  the  sled-trail  since  he  had  followed 
it  for  two  miles;  and  plainly  he  was  anxious  to  con- 
ceal his  interest,  since  he  had  walked  so  carefully 
in  the  footsteps  of  the  unknown  driver,  and  had 
made  no  reference  to  the  matter  whatever.  Did 
he  know  something — something  that  he  did  not  wish 
to  make  known? 

[68] 


THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  A  STORY 

The  corporal  thought* that  very  likely  he  did, 
but  could  not  even  conjecture  what  the  secret 
knowledge  might  be.  There  was  a  puzzled  frown 
on  his  face,  as  he  turned  in  the  direction  of  the 
Lodge,  and  when  he  came  in  sight  of  the  house  he 
became  aware  of  a  considerable  bustle.  In  the 
open  space  in  front  two  sleds  were  drawn  up,  and  a 
considerable  number  of  dogs  were  lying  about  or 
nosing  in  the  snow  for  lost  fragments  of  food.  Two 
Indians  and  a  half-breed  were  standing  near  the  sleds 
smoking  and  talking.  Bracknell  recognized  the 
half-breed  for  a  man  who  had  been  in  the  service 
of  the  police  as  a  driver. 

"Hallo,  Jacques,"  he  asked,  "what  brings  you  to 
North  Star?" 

Jacques  grinned  responsively.  "I  bring  a  letter 
— I  and  dese,  Co'pral.  Yees  two  dog  teams  to 
deleever  one  petite  lettre.  But  we  take  sometings 
else  back  weeth  us,  I  tink." 

"Indeed!"  laughed  the  corporal.  "What  may 
that  be?" 

"I  tink  we  take  a  lady,  de  lady  of  North  Star!" 
The  corporal  gave  vent  to  a  whistle  of  surprise,  and 
after  a  few  more  words  passed  into  the  house. 
There  he  met  Mr.  Rayner,  who  smiled  at  him. 

"We  have  news  for  you,  Corporal.  We  start 
for  England  tomorrow.  A  message  has  just 
reached  us  from  my  father,  and  Miss  Gargrave's 
presence  is  urgently  required  on  a  matter  of  busi- 
ness." 

"Is  that  so?" 

"Yes,  and  I  think  we  shall  all  be  glad  to  get 
[69] 


JHE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

away.  That  mysterious  affair  of  last  night  would 
be  rather  a  disturbing  thing  to  reflect  upon  in  a 
lonely  place  like  this." 

The  corporal  nodded,  made  some  casual  remark, 
and  passed  to  his  own  room,  where  he  sat  for  quite 
a  long  time,  smoking,  with  a  very  thoughtful  look 
upon  his  face. 


[70] 


CHAPTER  VII 
JOY  MAKES  A  REQUEST 

AFTER  the  midday  meal,  at  which  Joy  Gar- 
grave  did  not  appear,  Corporal  Bracknell 
left  the  house,  and  strolled  down  the  road 
until  he  reached  the  place  where  the  girl  had  passed 
him  on  the  previous  night.  There  he  came  to  a 
standstill,  his  brow  puckered  in  thought,  then  he 
swung  to  the  right  into  the  same  path  where  he  had 
found  Koona  Dick  lying  in  the  snow.  He  had  gone 
but  a  little  way  however,  when  a  noise  behind  him 
caused  him  to  look  round.  Joy  Gargrave  was  fol- 
lowing him.  He  waited  for  her,  and  as  she  came 
up  to  him  she  said,  "Mr.  Bracknell,  do  you  mind  if 
I  accompany  you  a  little  way?  I  should  like  to  talk 
to  you — if  I  may." 

"It  will  be  a  pleasure,  Miss  Gargrave,"  he 
answered  quite  sincerely. 

"Then  if  you  do  not  mind  we  will  turn  aside  into 
the  wood.  I — I  do  not  care  for  this  path,  now,  and 
we  might  be  seen  and  interrupted  by  some  one,  and 
I  have  a  request  to  make  of  you." 

"I  am  entirely  at  your  service,  Miss  Gargrave." 

"Then  we  will  turn — here." 

She  indicated  a  place  where  the  wood  thinned  a 
little,  and  turning  with  her,  he  fell  into  step  at  her 
side,  and  waited  for  her  to  begin,  wondering  what 
she  might  have  to  say  to  him.  Half  a  minute  passed 
in  silence,  then  she  began  abruptly :  "You  will  have 

[71] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

heard  that  we  are  starting  for  England  tomorrow?" 

"Yes,"  he  answered.  "Mr.  Rayner  told  me. 
The  decision  is  rather  sudden,  isn't  it?" 

She  nodded.  "The  journey  is  a  quite  unexpected 
one,  just  now.  We  had  thought  of  waiting  until  the 
ice  broke  up  and  of  canoeing  down  the  river.  But 
a  letter  has  just  come  from  Sir  Joseph — Mr.  Ray- 
ner's  father — stating  that  my  presence  is  required  in 
England  at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  The  letter 
has  been  delayed,  and  Mr.  Rayner  tells  me  that  it 
is  requisite  that  we  should  start  at  once." 

"The  business  must  be  very  urgent  if  you  have 
to  start  on  such  a  long  journey  at  a  day's  notice," 
commented  the  corporal. 

"It  is  not  altogether  that,"  was  the  reply, 
"though  Mr.  Rayner  insists  that  it  is  imperative 
that  we  shall  make  an  early  start.  The  truth  is — " 
she  broke  off,  and  then  resumed  in  a  quavering 
voice :  "I  am  much  upset  by  that  mysterious  affair 
of  last  night,  and,  Mr.  Bracknell,  I  am  afraid — 
horribly  afraid." 

"Of  what?"  he  asked,  looking  into  her  beautiful 
face  to  find  it  white  and  tense  with  emotion. 

"Of  my — my — of  Dick  Bracknell,"  she  answered 
quietly. 

"But  if  he  is  dead,  what — " 

"Do  you  think  he  is  dead?"  she  cried  sharply. 
"Tell  me,  Mr.  Bracknell,  what  do  you  really 
think?" 

"Last  night,"  he  answered  slowly,  "I  had  no 
doubt  whatever  about  it.  But  today — " 

"Yes,  today?"  she  prompted  anxiously. 

"I  am  not  quite  so  sure.     His  complete  disap- 

[72] 


JOY  MAKES  A  REQUEST 

pearance  perplexes  me.  If  he  were  dead  as  I 
thought,  then  some  one  has  carried  his  body  away; 
and  if  he  were  not  dead,  then  some  one  must  still 
have  helped  him,  for  he  was  in  no  condition  to  help 
himself." 

"That  is  what  you  think?  Mr.  Bracknell,  do 
you  know  that  there  was  a  sledge  in  the  wood  to  the 
left  of  that  path?" 

"I  saw  the  trail,"  he  answered  quietly,  "and1  I 
saw  you  following  it." 

"Whose  sled  was  it?"  she  asked  thoughtfully. 
"It  was  none  of  ours,  and  it  was  not  yours,  and  it 
could  not  be  that  of  a  miner,  for  any  such  would 
have  come  to  the  Lodge,  as  we  keep  open  house  for 
the  men  on  trail." 

"I  do  not  know  whose  it  can  have  been,"  an- 
swered the  corporal  thoughtfully.  "If  we  knew 
that  we  should  have  the  key  to  the  whole  of  this 
mysterious  affair,  possibly.  But  whoever  it  was  he 
was  anxious  as  far  as  possible  to  cover  his  tracks. 
He  did  not  follow  the  trail  up  the  river.  He  crossed 
to  the  track  on  the  other  side,  and  then  turned  off 
into  the  wood;  he  lit  a  fire  there.  I  found  the  ashes 
after  I  left  you  this  morning.  He  must  have  halted 
there  for  a  little  time,  for  the  snow  was  pretty  well 
trampled,  and  when  he  resumed  his  journey,  he 
marched  parallel  with  the  river,  and  descended  to 
the  ice  again  just  south  of  the  bluff.  I  found  his 
tracks  coming  down  the  bank  there,  and  I  imagine 
that  from  the,  point  he  must  have  followed  the  trail 
up-river." 

"Whoever  could  he  be?"  asked  the  girl  in  per- 
plexity. 

[73] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"I  do  not  know.  But  tomorrow  I  am  going  to 
find  out;  my  dogs  will  be  fresh  then,  and  after  the 
rest  I  shall  be  able  to  travel  fast.  Of  one  thing  I 
am  convinced:  whoever  the  man  was  he  was  not 
your  husband.  Dick  Bracknell,  as  I  said  just  now, 
was  in  no  condition  to  help  himself,  certainly  not  to 
take  the  trail." 

For  a  moment  Joy  Gargrave  did  not  speak,  and 
as  he  looked  at  her  he  wondered  what  her  thoughts 
were.  He  was  still  wondering  when  she  broke  the 
silence. 

"Mr.  Bracknell,  I  am  afraid,  terribly  afraid. 
Somehow  I  feel  that  your  cousin  is  not  dead.  I  feel 
that  he  will  come  back  here,  and  that  is  why  we  are 
hurrying  away  tomorrow  morning.  The  letter 
from  Sir  Joseph  Rayner  serves  for  an  excuse.  Do 
you  understand?" 

"I  think  I  do,"  answered  the  corporal  sympathet- 
ically. "You  are  afraid  that  Dick,  having  found 
out  where  you  are,  will  return  to  worry  you?" 

"You  know  him,  I  have  told  you  how  I  was 
trapped  into  marrying  him,  do  you  think  that  he 
is  the  man  to  leave  me  in  peace?" 

"He  is  likely  to  consult  only  his  own  interests," 
agreed  her  companion. 

"But  I  shall  be  safe  from  him  in  England,  if  what 
you  tell  me  is  true.  He  dare  not  go  there  openly, 
and  if  he  were  to  appear  at  all,  I  should  be  able  to 
protect  myself,  by  invoking  the  police." 

"The  police  would  only  be  too  happy  to  afford 
you  protection  here,"  answered  the  corporal  earn- 
estly. 

The  girl  looked  at  him  with  grateful  eyes,     "You 

[74] 


JOY  MAKES  A  REQUEST 

mean  yourself.     Yes !  I  know,  but  there  is  another 
service  that  I  want  from  you — " 

"You  have  but  to  name  it,  Miss  Gargrave,"  he 
answered  as  she  hesitated.  "So  far  as  duty  allows, 
I  am  entirely  at  your  service.  Tell  me  what  it  is 
that  I  can  do  for  you." 

"You  can  find  out  for  me  whether  Dick  Bracknell 
is  alive  or  dead." 

The  corporal  had  not  anticipated  the  request,  and 
he  was  a  little  startled  by  it.  Instantly  his  mind 
reverted  to  the  conversation  he  had  had  with  Ray- 
ner.  He  recalled  the  hopes  which  the  latter 
entertained,  and  wondered  if  this  white-faced  girl 
at  his  side  was  willing  to  help  their  realization.  As 
that  possibility  flashed  into  his  mind,  he  was  con- 
scious of  a  constriction  about  his  heart.  But  he 
gave  no  sign. 

"I  should  be  compelled  to  do  that  in  any  case," 
he  answered  quietly.  "I  cannot  relinquish  the 
work  on  which  I  started  until  I  know  what  has 
become  of  the  man  who  is  known  at  headquarters 
as  Koona  Dick.  Some  one  must  know  about  him' — 
probably  the  driver  of  the  sled  whose  trail  I  fol- 
lowed, and  I've  got  to  find  out.  Vague  reports  are 
not  regarded  as  satisfactory  by  the  heads  of  the 
force." 

"You  will  let  me  know?"  she  asked  instantly. 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  do  so,"  he  answered  quietly, 
and  again  he  was  conscious  of  the  tightening  about 
his  heart. 

"You  see,"  she  explained,  "my  position  is  so 
anomalous.  All  my  little  world  with  the  exception 
of  my  Newnham  friend  and  yourself,  my  foster- 

[75] 


,THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

sister,  whom  I  told  only  last  night,  thinks  of  me 
as  a  spinster." 

"You  are  sure  Mr.  Rayner  does  not  know  of 
your  marriage?"  asked  the  corporal  quickly,  as  a 
thought  struck  him. 

"I  am  quite  sure,"  answered  Joy  readily,  without 
giving  any  indication  that  she  found  any  special 
significance  in  the  question.  "You  see  the  part 
played  by  Lady  Alcombe  was  not  very  credible, 
and  I  used  my  knowledge  of  it  to  ensure  her  silence. 
I  wrote  to  her  and  told  her  that  if  the  wedding  was 
not  kept  secret,  I  should  proclaim  all  that  had 
happened  to  the  world.  Her  vulnerable  spot  is  the 
position  she  holds  in  society,  and  she  knew  how  that 
would  suffer  if  it  became  a  matter  of  common 
knowledge  that  for  a  bribe  she  had  schemed  to 
marry  to  a  scamp  an  innocent  girl  left  in  her  charge. 
She  wrote  me  a  short  note  in  reply,  in  which  she 
said,  that  she  would  forget  that  the  marriage  had 
even  taken  place,  and  that  I  need  not  fear  that  it 
would  ever  become  known.  That  is  why  I  am  so 
sure  Mr.  Rayner  does  not  know.  Lady  Alcombe 
dare  not  betray  me." 

Bracknell  nodded.  "I  dare  say  you  are  right, 
but  of  course  you  cannot  marry  again  until  you  are 
sure  of  that — " 

"I  do  not  want  to  marry  again!"  interrupted 
the  girl  quickly,  the  blood  flaming  in  her  pale  face. 
"Why  should  you  think  that  I  do,  Mr.  Bracknell?" 

As  the  corporal  met  her  blue  eyes,  clear  and 
unshadowed  by  guile,  his  heart  grew  suddenly  light, 
and  on  the  moment  he  dismissed  from  his  mind  the 

[76] 


JOY  MAKES  A  REQUEST 

thought  that  Joy  Gargrave  in  any  way  shared  Mr. 
Rayner's  aspirations.  He  laughed  cheerfully  as  he 
replied,  "I  did  not  say  that  I  thought  you  wished 
to  marry  again,  Miss  Gargrave.  I  was  merely 
stating  the  law  on  the  matter,  and  there  is  no  per- 
sonal significance  to  be  attached  to  such  a  state- 
ment." 

Joy  Gargrave  smiled  austerely.  "I  am  not 
likely  ever  to  marry  again,"  she  said.  "Once 
bitten,  twice  shy,  you  know." 

The  corporal  smiled  in  return,  but  as  he  marked 
her  loveliness  and  remembered  the  figure  at  which 
the  Northland  had  estimated  Rolf  Gargrave's 
wealth,  he  thought  to  himself  that  many  a  man 
would  endeavour  to  persuade  her  to  a  different 
mind,  but  he  did  not  say  so. 

"Miss  Gargrave,  one  never  knows  what  the  fu- 
ture holds — but  whatever  happens  you  can  count  me 
as  your  friend.  I  am  not  proud  of  my  relationship 
to  Dick  Bracknell,  even  though  it  does  make?  me 
some  sort  of  a  cousin  to  you.  There  is  nothing 
that  I  will  not  do  to  serve  you,  and  if  anything  that 
I  learn  will  deliver  you  from  your  anomalous  posi- 
tion, you  may  rest  assured  that  I  will  let  you  know 
of  it  at  the  earliest  possible  moment." 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Bracknell,"  she  answered 
simply.  "I  shall  be  very  grateful." 

They  walked  on  a  little  way  without  speaking, 
then  she  turned  to  him  suddenly.  "You  are  my 
cousin,  more  or  less,  Mr.  Bracknell,  but  I  do  not 
know  your  Christian  name." 

"It  is  Roger,"  he  answered  smilingly. 

[77] 


"And  if  at  any  time  I  want  to  communicate  with 
you,  where — " 

"Headquarters  at  Regina.  That  will  always 
find  me  sooner  or  later,  no  matter  what  part  of  the 
Territory  I  may  be  in." 

"I  am  glad  to  know  that,"  she  said,  "and  if  at 
any  time  you  have  news  for  me,  any  letter  sent  care 
of  Sir  Joseph  Rayner  will  reach  me."  She  turned 
in  her  steps  as  she  spoke.  "I  think  I  had  better 
return  now.  There  is  much  to  do  at  the  Lodge, 
and  they  will  miss  me.  But  I  am  glad  to  have  met 
you,  and  glad  to  think  that  I  can  count  you  among 
my  friends." 

She  held  out  her  mittened  hand,  and  as  he  took 
it  Roger  Bracknell  felt  the  blood  surge  warmly  in 
his  face,  and  in  his  grey  eyes  as  he  looked  at  her 
there  was  a  flame  that  had  she  observed  it  would 
have  told  her  that  she  had  secured  more  than  a 
friend.  But  she  did  not  see  it,  and  as  she  walked 
away  there  was  a  pensive  look  on  the  beautiful  face. 

The  next  day  Corporal  Bracknell,  with  his  own 
team  ready  harnessed,  watched  Joy  Gargrave  and 
her  escort  take  their  departure.  Four  full  teams  of 
dogs  drew  their  equipment,  and  snow  having  fallen 
during  the  night,  Joy  and  her  foster-sister  wore  the 
great  webbed  snow-shoes  of  the  North.  They 
stood  making  their  good-byes,  then  the  half-breed 
driver  gave  the  word. 

"Mooch!     Mooch!     Linka!" 

The  leading  dog  gave  a  yelp,  and  strained  at  his 
collar,  and  a  moment  later  all  the  teams  were  mov- 

[78] 


JOY  MAKES  A  REQUEST 

ing  southward.  Joy  Gargrave  waved  her  hand  as 
she  moved  on,  and  he  waved  back  and  stood  watch- 
ing till  the  cavalcade  was  out  of  sight,  then  turning 
to  his  own,  dogs,  he  gave  the  word  to  move  and  set 
his  face  towards  the  snowy  solitudes  of  the  North. 


[79] 


CHAPTER  VIII 
KOONA  DICK 

AS  he  travelled,  Roger  Bracknell's  mind  was 
busy  with  the  events  of  the  past  two  days, 
and  with  the  information  he  had  gathered. 
That  his  cousin  Dick  should  have  turned  out  to  be 
the  man  whose  trail  he  had  followed  had  occasioned 
no  wonder  after  the  first  shock  of  surprise;  but  the 
mystery  of  the  attack  upon  him,  and  of  his  subse- 
quent disappearance,  afforded  him  much  food  for 
thought.  Some  one  had  determined  that  Dick 
Bracknell  should  die,  and  some  one  had  shot  him. 
The  question  was — who  was  it?  He  had  dismissed 
from  his  mind  any  idea  that  Joy  herself  had  any 
complicity  in  that  business,  her  frankness  having 
quite  killed  the  suspicions  he  had  at  first  been  in- 
clined to  entertain. 

His  thoughts  swung  round  to  Rayner.  Did  he 
know  anything  of  the  matter?  He  could  find  no 
satisfactory  answer.  It  was  true  that  immediately 
after  the  crime  he  had  seen  him  entering  the  Lodge 
with  a  rifle,  and  he  had  certainly  shown  a  keen  in- 
terest about  the  sled  which  had  waited  in  the  wood, 
but  from  the  first  he  had  casually  offered  a  sufficient 
explanation,  and  the  instinct  which  turns  every  man 
into  an  amateur  detective  on  the  occasion  of  a  mys- 
terious crime  would  easily  account  for  the  second. 

Besides — Rayner  could  have  had  nothing  to  do 

[80] 


with  the  disappearance  of  Dick  Bracknell's  body, 
for  the  corporal  was  quite  sure  that  he  had  never 
left  the  house  until  he  had  'done  so  with  himself. 
True,  he  had  betrayed  a  certain  knowledge  as  to 
the  place  where  the  crime  had  been  committed,  but 
he  himself  might  easily  have  communicated  that 
knowledge  to  Rayner,  though  he  could  not  recollect 
having  done  so,  whilst  on  the  other  hand,  the  motive 
for  such  a  serious  crime  as  murder  was  not  immedi- 
ately apparent.  It  was  true  that  Rayner  designed 
to  marry  Joy  Gargrave,  but  that  of  itself  was  not 
a  sufficient  motive  unless  he  knew  of  the  previous 
marriage. 

"But  does  Rayner  know  of  that  marriage?" 
He  uttered  the  question  aloud,  and  answered  it  the 
same  way,  speech  helping  him  to  precipitate  his 
thoughts. 

"I  think  not!  The  girl  is  so  positive  .  .  .  and 
Rayner  has  given  no  sign.  There's  the  deuce  of  a 
coil  to  be  unwound  somehow." 

He  reached  the  bluff,  turned  it,  and  saw  the 
junction  of  the  tributary  Elkhorn  with  the  main 
river.  When  he  reached  it  he  halted  his  dogs  and 
made  a  careful  inspection  of  the  trail.  The  new 
snow  had  drifted,  but  the  thick  pinewood  which 
grew  on  the  banks  of  the  smaller  stream  had  turned 
the  snow  in  places,  and  about  two  hundred  yards 
up,  he  came  on  the  half-obliterated  traces  of  sled- 
runners.  He  examined  them  carefully,  stood  for 
a  minute  or  two  in  thought,  then  nodded  his  head. 

"Turned  up  here  out  of  the  main  trail,  and  will 
probably  have  made  a  camp  somewhere.  Anyway 
it  is  worth  trying." 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

He  went  back  for  his  dogs,  and  turned  up  the 
Elkhorn.  The  trail  at  first  was  not  very  bad,  and 
he  made  a  good  pace ;  but  after  the  first  two  miles 
it  worsened,  and  he  struck  an  abundance  of  soft 
snow,  presenting  an  absolutely  virgin  surface.  This 
made  the  going  very  hard,  and  he  marched  ahead 
of  his  labouring  dogs,  packing  the  snow  with  the 
great  webbed  shoes  of  the  North,  lifting  each  foot 
clear  almost  perpendicularly,  then  planting  it  down 
to  harden  the  surface  for  his  canine  team.  Three 
miles  or  so  he  made,  in  spite  of  the  cold,  sweating 
like  a  bull,  and  then  he  reached  a  place  where  the 
wind  had  swept  the  ice  like  a  broom  leaving  it  al- 
most clear  of  snow. 

He  examined  the  frozen  surface,  and  after1  a 
little  search  found  the  marks  of  sled-runners  on  the 
ice.  He  searched  further,  but  found  nothing  save 
these  twin  scars  running  parallel  to  one  another. 
But  one  sled  had  passed  that  way,  and  he  was  sure 
that  he  was  on  the  right  track.  A  smile  of  satis- 
faction came  on  his  lean  face,  and  seating  himself 
on  the  sled  he  swung  forward  at  a  rattling  pace. 

The  short  day  was  coming  to  a  close  when  the 
leading  dog  yelped  suddenly,  and  with  his  followers 
began  to  manifest  signs  of  canine  excitement. 
Roger  Bracknell  himself  sniffed  the  keen  air. 
There  was  a  fire  somewhere,  for  the  unmistakable 
odour  of  burning  resinous  wood  reached  his  nostrils. 
He  stepped  off  the  sled,  and  hanging  on  to  the  gee- 
pole  tried  to  check  the  pace  of  his  team.  His 
efforts  however,  were  in  vain.  The  dogs  bent  their 
heads  to  the  ice  and  threw  themselves  against  the 
collars,  hurrying  forward,  as  they  had  not  hurried 

[82] 


KOONA  DICK 

all  day.  They  too  smelt  the  burning  pinewood, 
and  to  them  it  signified  not  merely  human  habita- 
tion, but  freedom  from  the  traces,  and  the  frozen 
salmon  which  constituted  their  evening  meal. 

The  corporal,  finding  his  endeavours  to  restrain 
them  vain,  prepared  for  eventualities..  Hanging  on 
to  the  sled  with  one  hand,  with  the  other  he  un- 
fastened the  holster  wherein  he  carried  his  service 
pistol.  He  did  not  know  what  to  expect.  That 
aromatic  odour  might  come  from  an  Indian  tepee, 
from  the  hut  of  some  lonely  prospecting  party,  or 
from  the  camp  of  the  man  he  was  following;  in  any 
case)  it  was  as  well  to  be  prepared. 

The  leading  dog  yelped  again,  and  the  others 
responded  in  joyful  chorus.  The  team  swung  sud- 
denly towards  the  left  bank,  up  a  slight  incline 
towards  a  clearing  in  the  wood.  Out  of  the  gather- 
ing gloom  a  faint  glow  appeared,  and  then  the 
shadowy  outline  of  a  hut.  The  glow  was  from 
a  frosted  parchment  window,  and  the  hut  was  the 
typical  miner's  cabin  of  the  North.  Corporal 
Bracknell  smiled  and  dropped  his  hand  from  the 
pistol-holster,  finding  the  look  of  the  place  alto- 
gether reassuring.  The  dogs  came  to  a  standstill 
on  the  packed  snow  in  front  of  the  cabin,  yelping 
delight,  and  whip  in  hand  Bracknell  waited,  listen- 
ing. If  there  were  dogs  at  the  cabin  they  might  be 
expected  to  charge  the  new-comers,  who  fastened  in 
the  traces  would  be  heavily  handicapped.  The 
charge  he  waited  for  did  not  come.  There  was  no 
challenging  answer  to  the  yelping  of  his  own  team, 
and  apparently  the  owner  of  the  cabin  was  without 
dogs,  or  if  he  owned  a  team  it  was  absent  from 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

home.  This  fact  further  reassured  him  and  threw 
him  still  more  off  his  guard.  He  stepped  forward 
to  the  door  of  the  cabin  and  rapped  upon  it  with  the 
butt-end  of  his  dog-whip. 

"Come  in,"  answered  a  hoarse  voice. 

The  corporal  felt  for  the  moosehide  thong  that 
worked  the  wooden  catch,  opened  the  door,  and 
stepping  inside  turned  to  close  it  behind  him. 

"That's  right,"  said  the  voice  again.  "Now  put 
your  hands  up." 

The  corporal  jumped  and  his  hands  moved  in- 
stinctively towards  the  holster  as  he  swung  round. 

"Don't!"  snapped  the  voice.  "Put  them  up, 
or  by — "  Bracknell  recognized  the  folly  of  re- 
sistance, and  as  he  raised  his  hands  above  his  head, 
his  eyes  swept  the  cabin  for  the  speaker.  A 
slush  lamp  against  the  wall,  and  the  glow  from  the 
roaring  Yukon  stove  gave  light  to  the  middle  of  the 
cabin,  but  the  corners  were  in  comparative  dark- 
ness, and  it  was  a  second  or  two  before  he  located 
the  owner  of  the  voice.  Then,  in  a  bunk  in  the 
corner  furthest  from  the  door,  he  caught  sight  of  a 
man  propped  among  furs  and  blankets.  On  the 
edge  of  the  bunk  rested  a  hand  which  held  a  heavy 
pistol  pointing  at  himself.  The  face  that  he  looked 
into  was  that  which  he  had  last  seen  in  death-like 
repose  in  the  snow  near  North  Star  Lodge — the 
face  of  Koona  Dick.  The  eyes  of  the  latter  glit- 
tered wickedly  in  the  firelight,  and  whilst  the  officer 
waited  the  voice  spoke  again,  mockingly. 

"The  end  of  the  long  trail — hey,  bobby?" 

The    corporal    did  not   reply.     Apparently   his 

[84] 


KOONA  DICK 

cousin  was  alone  and  comparatively  helpless,  or  he 
would  scarcely  have  waited  his  entrance  lying  in 
the  bunk.  His  eyes  measured  the  distance  between 
them  and  he  speculated  what  chance  there  was  of 
the  success  of  a  sudden  spring  proving  successful. 
But  the  man  on  the  bunk  evidently  divined  what  was 
passing  through  his  mind,  for  a  second  later  he 
broke  the  silence  again. 

"I  wouldn't  try  it,  officer,  not  if  I  were  you.  I 
may  be  a  sick  man,  but  I  can  still  shoot." 

Roger  Bracknell  looked  at  the  hand  resting  on 
the  edge  of  the  bunk.  It  was  perfectly  steady.  He 
recognized  the  hopelessness  of  any  attack  proving 
successful,  until  the  sick  man  was  off  his  guard,  and 
nodded  casually. 

"I  give  you  best,"  he  answered,  speaking  for 
the  first  time. 

The  man  on  the  bunk  gave  a  chuckling  laugh. 
"You  seem  wise,"  he  replied,  "and  if  you  do  just 
what  I  tell  you  you'll  prove  you  are.  You've  got 
a  gun,  of  course,  in  that  holster  of  yours?  Well, 
when  I  give  the  word,  you  will  unbuckle  the  belt, 
and  fling  it  pistol  and  all  under  the  bunk  here.  No 
tricks,  mind  you.  If  your  hand  strays  an  inch  from 
the  buckle,  I  fire,  and  I  warn  you  that  I  am  a  dead 
shot.  .  .  .  Now  you  can  get  to  work." 

The  corporal  dropped  his  hands  to  his  belt,  and 
as  his  fingers  worked  at  the  stiff  buckle,  wondered 
if  he  might  run  the  risk  of  trying  for  his  pistol. 

"Quick!  You're  too  long!"  cried  the  man  in 
the  bunk.  Roger  Bracknell  hesitated  for  a  second. 

[85] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

His  fingers  fumbled  at  the  buckle,  then  the  belt 
swung  loose  in  his  hands. 

"Throw  it!"  came  the  command  in  a  peremp- 
tory voice. 

The  corporal  threw  it  along  the  floor  and  it  slid 
to  the  edge  of  the  bunk,  then  his  cousin  laughed 
again. 

"  'Wisdom  is  justified  of  her  children.'  If  you 
had  a  pious  upbringing,  bobby,  you  will  recognize 
the  Scripture.  And  now  having  got  rid  of  your 
arsenal,  you  can  sit  down  at  the  table,  and  put  your 
hands  upon  it.  That  will  be  easier  for  you  than 
standing  there  trying  to  touch  the  roof,  but  I  warn 
you  again — no  monkey  tricks  or — " 

The  pistol  moved  significantly,  and  the  corporal 
moved  towards  the  rough  table,  constructed  out  of 
a  packing  case. 

"Keep  your  hands  up,  and  shove  that  stool  for- 
ward with  your  feet." 

The  "stool"  referred  to  was  a  log  of  wood,  which 
as  tne  corporal  recognized,  would  prove  a  very  good 
missle  if  a  man  had  time  to  lift  and  throw  it.  Evi- 
dently his  mentor  realized  that  also,  and  was  taking 
no  chances,  so,  still  at  the  pistol  point,  Corporal 
Bracknell  pushed  the  log  forward  to  the  table,  and 
then  on  his  captor's  instructions  seated  himself 
with  his  arms  resting  on  the  table. 

"Now,"  said  the  sick  man,  with  a  short  laugh, 
"we  can  talk  in  peace." 

"Talk  away,"  answered  the  corporal  cheerfully. 

"I  will,"  replied  the  other  sharply.  "There's  a 
question  that  I  want  to  ask  you.  .  .  .  Why  did  you 
pot  me  in  the  wood  at  North  Star  Lodge  three 

[86] 


KOONA  DICK 

nights  ago  ?  ^  That  sort  of  thing  is  against  the  rules 
of  your  service,  isn't  it?" 

"It  is,"  answered  the  corporal,  "and  the  answer 
to  your  other  question  is  that  I  didn't  pot  you." 

"You  didn't,  hey?     Then  who  the  devil  did?" 

"I  would  give  a  goodish  bit  to  know,"  was  the 
corporal's  reply.  "The  thing  is  a  mystery  to  me." 

"But  it's  no  mystery  to  me,"  answered  the  other, 
a  trifle  passionately.  "You  did  it,  and  it's  no  use 
trying  to  bluff  me.  I  know  you've  been  on  my 
track  for  weeks,  and  that  you  were  determined  to 
get  me  by  fair  means  or  foul.  If  you  think  that 
lying  is  going  to  help  you — " 

"I  am  not  lying,"  interrupted  Roger  Bracknell. 
"I  give  you  my  word  of  honour  that  I  am  telling 
you  the  truth — and  I  say  that  not  because  I  am 
afraid.  It  is  true  that  I  was  trailing  you,  and  that 
I  was  close  at  your  heels  at  North  Star.  But  I 
never  shot  you,  I  found  you  lying  in  the  snow,  as  I 
thought,  dead,  but  I'd  nothing  whatever  to  do  with 
the  shooting." 

"The  devil!"  cried  the  sick  man,  and  from  his 
tones  the  corporal  knew  that  he  was  convinced. 
"Then  who  did  it?" 

The  corporal  saw  a  chance  of  further  surprising 
his  questioner — and  took  it. 

"Well,  there  was  the  person  whom  you  went  to 
meet — your  wife,  you  know." 

"My  wife!"  There  was  amazement  in  Dick 
Bracknell's  tones,  and  for  a  moment  after  the  ex- 
clamation he  stared  at  the  officer  like  the  man  who 
could  not  believe  his  ears. 

"Yes,  your  wife,  Joy  Gargrave,"  answered  the 

[87] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

corporal  steadily.  "You  went  to  meet  her  in  the 
wood,  didn't  you?" 

Dick  Bracknell  did  not  reply.  His  lips  pursed 
themselves  and  he  began  to  whistle  thoughtfully  to 
himself  the  while  he  stared  at  the  man  whose  ques- 
tion he  left  unanswered.  The  corporal  smiled  a 
little,  and  continued — 

"I  should  think  that  you  would  be  the  first  to 
admit  that  Joy  Gargrave  was  not  without  griev- 
ances sufficient  to  warrant  extreme  action  on  her 
part." 

"You  can  put  that  notion  out  of  your  noddle,  at 
once,"  replied  the  other  harshly.  "If  you  know 
Joy  at  all,  you  know  that  the  idea  of  shooting  me 
is  the  very  last  thing  that  would  enter  her  head. 
She's  not  that  sort." 

The  corporal  remembered  Joy's  confession  and 
smiled  whimsically  at  the  unconscious  irony  of  her 
husband's  testimony,  then,  still  trying  to  move  the 
other  to  some  indiscretion  of  speech,  he  answered 
quietly,  "You  believe  in  Joy  Gargrave?  But  have 
you  thought  what  she  must  feel  like?  There  are 
plenty  of  women  who — " 

"Drop  it,"  broke  in  the  sick  man  harshly.  "The 
motion  is  preposterous.  I  won't  listen  to  it;  and  I 
warn  you,  I  don't  share  Joy's  scruples  about  shoot- 
ing." 

"Nor  about  anything  else,  I  imagine?"  answered 
the  corporal  with  a  short  laugh.  "But  we  can 
easily  settle  whether  Joy  did  it  or  not.  Which  side 
did  the  shot  come  from?" 

"Now  you're  asking  me  something,"  answered 
the  wounded  man.  "There  were  two  shots,  and 

[88] 


KOONA  DICK 

they  came  from  both  sides  of  me.  It  was  a  regular 
ambuscade,  and  whoever  fired  meant  to  get  me." 

"Where   were   you   hit?"    asked   the   corporal. 

"Left  shoulder!  Drilled  clean  through,"  was 
the  reply. 

"And  which  way  were  you  facing  when  the  thing 
happened?"  asked  the  corporal.  "Think  care- 
fully. It  is  rather  important." 

"I  was  facing  up  the  path,  with  my  back  to  the 
main  road.  I  had  heard  something  moving  and 
had  turned  round,  just  at  the  moment." 

"That  settles  it,"  answered  the  corporal  emphati- 
cally. "It  was  the  shot  from  the  left  that  did  for 
you,  and  your  wife  was  on  the  right." 

"But  who  was  on  the  left?  Tell  me  that  if  you 
can,  my  Solomon." 

Corporal  Bracknell  shook  his  head.  "There  you 
hit  one  of  the  mysteries  of  this  business.  I  don't 
know,  I  wish  I  did,  but  as  sure  as  my  name  is  Roger 
Bracknell—" 

"As  sure  as  what?"  The  interruption  came  like 
a  pistol  shot,  and  the  wounded  man  leaned  forward 
with  amazement  showing  in  his  face.  "What  name 
did  you  say  you  called  yourself?" 

"Roger  Bracknell!"  answered  the  corporal 
quietly. 

"H'm!"  responded  the  other,  peering  at  him 
thoughtfully,  then  he  said  suddenly,  "Take  off  that 
chapeau  of  yours!" 

The  corporal  removed  his  fur  cap,  and  sat  with 
it  in  his  hand,  whilst  the  other  searched  his  face 
with  inquisitive  eyes.  There  was  a  moment's  si- 
lence, and  then  the  wounded  man  spoke  again. 

[89] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"It  beats  the  band.  You  are  my  cousin  Roger 
right  enough,  and  this  is  a  nice  dramatic  meeting. 
Drury  Lane  isn't  in  it  with  us,  though  what  the 
blazes  you  are  doing  as  a  'Mounter'  beats  me.  I 
thought  you  were  at  the  bar." 

"And  I  didn't  know  you  were  Koona  Dick  until 
three  nights  ago.  I  had  your  description  given  me, 
and  that  cut  across  your  cheek  bone  was  particu- 
larized. That  and  the  beard  you  wear  are  acquisi- 
tions since  the  old  days  at  Harrow  Fell,  and  even 
when  I  looked  at  your  face  the  other  night  I  never 
associated  Koona  Dick  with  Dick  Bracknell." 

"How  did  you  come  to  know?"  asked  the  other 
curiously. 

"I  picked  up  that  note  which  you  sent  to  your 
wife  asking  her  to  meet  you,  and  naming  the  place. 
You  had  begun  to  write  your  surname  and  then 
crossed  it  out.  That  gave  me  the  first  inkling  that 
you  and  Koona  Dick  were  one  and  the  same,  and  of 
course  when  I  talked  to  Joy  Gargrave  I  knew  that 
what  I  suspected  was  the  fact." 

"And  knowing  what  you  now  know,  you  would 
still  arrest  me?" 

As  he  asked  the  question,  Dick  Bracknell  leaned 
forward  a  little,  and  the  hand  that  held  the  pistol 
hung  loosely  over  the  edge  of  the  bunk.  The  cor- 
poral noticed  it,  and  shifted  his  grip  on  the  heavy 
fur  cap  in  his  hand. 

"I  should  be  compelled  to.  Duty  is  duty — you 
know." 

"But,  man,  I'm  your  cousin!"  came  the  protest. 

"Yes!  more's  the  pity." 

As  he  replied,  the  corporal's  arm  moved  sud- 

[9°] 


KOONA  DICK 

denly,  and  the  fur  cap  was  jerked  across  the  room 
right  into  the  sick  man's  face.  The  corporal  him- 
self followed  it  like  lightening,  and,  as  he  reached 
the  bunk,  gripped  his  cousin's  pistol-hand.  The 
weapon  went  off,  once,  twice,  and  the  bullets  plugged 
the  logs  of  the  cabin,  whilst  Dick  Bracknell  shouted 
imprecations.  The  policeman  caught  the  barrel 
of  the  pistol,  and  turned  it  away  from  himself, 
whilst  with  the  other  hand  he  caught  his  cousin's 
wrist,  and  dug  his  thumb  into  the  sinews  of  it,  in 
order  to  force  him  to  release  his  hold.  In  the  midst 
of  the  struggle  there  was  a  sudden  clamour  of  dogs 
outside,  but  neither  of  the  men  noticed  it.  The 
pistol  cracked  again,  and  at  that  moment  the  door 
opened,  and  an  Indian  rushed  in.  Apparently,  he 
took  in  the  situation  in  a  glance.  There  was  a 
heavy  dog-whip  in  his  hand,  and  in  an  instant  he 
had  swung  it,  and  brought  the  loaded  stock  down 
on  the  corporal's  head.  The  latter  did  not  even  cry 
out.  He  doubled  up  like  a  doll  out  of  which  the 
stuffing  had  been  ripped,  and  lay  in  a  crumpled 
heap  upon  the  hard  mud  floor. 


[91] 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  HUSKS  OF  THE  PRODIGAL 

WHEN  Roger  Bracknell  came  to  himself, 
he  had  a  splitting  head,  and  no  exact 
recollection  of  recent  events.  His  head 
ached  so  much  that  he  felt  moved  to  press  his  tem- 
ples with  his  hands,  but  found  that  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  do  so,  owing  to  his  arms  being  bound  to  his 
side.  On  making  that  discovery,  he  lay  quite  still, 
with  his  eyes  closed,  thinking  over  the  situation. 
Little  by  little  memory  came  back  to  him,  and  he 
remembered  what  had  befallen,  but  his  remembrance 
of  events  ceased  with  the  moment  when  his  cousin's 
pistol  had  cracked  for  the  third  time.  Had  the 
bullet  struck  him?  He  did  not  know,  but  at  that 
moment  through  the  drums  throbbing  in  his  head, 
a  voice  sounded  in  his  ears,  a  voice  that  had  exter- 
nal reality,  and  the  tones  of  which  he  recognized. 

"Do  you  think  he's  dead,  Joe?  He  lies  still 
enough." 

A  guttural  voice  grunted  some  reply,  and  there 
was  a  sound  of  movement  near  him.  He  opened 
his  eyes,  to  find  himself  looking  into  a  dark,  frost- 
scarred  face,  from  which  a  single  eye  gleamed 
malevolently.  As  that  eye  encountered  his,  the 
dark  face  was  lifted  and  turned  from  him,  and  he 
caught  the  reply  given  over  the  speaker's  shoulder. 

"Him  eyes  open.     He  alright!" 

[92] 


THE  HUSKS  OF  THE  PRODIGAL 

"That's  good  hearing.  I  don't  want  him  to  die 
on  our  hands,  at  least  not  until  I  have  had  a  little 
more  conversation  with  him." 

The  man  Joe  gave  a  careless  reply,  and  moved 
away.  Corporal  Bracknell  craned  his  neck  a  little 
and  looked  round. 

The  slush  lamp  was  still  burning,  but  through  the 
parchment  window  the  grey  light  of  the  Northland 
day  penetrated,  from  which  fact  he  deduced  that 
he  had  lain  where  he  was  many  hours.  In  front  of 
the  stove,  the  man  of  the  evil  face,  whom  he  had 
seen  on  opening  his  eyes,  was  busy  preparing  a 
meal,  and  the  odour  of  frying  moose-steak  and  ba- 
con filled  the  cabin.  In  the  bunk,  propped  up 
among  the  furs,  with  his  left  arm  in  an  improvised 
sling,  he  descried  his  cousin,  puffing  at  a  pipe,  and 
regarding  him  with  thoughtful  gaze.  Their  eyes 
met,  and  Dick  Bracknell  smiled. 

"Morning,  Cousin  Roger.  I  hope  that  head  of 
yours  is  not  very  bad." 

"It  is  only  middling,"  answered  the  corporal 
truthfully. 

"Urn!  I  suspected  so!  Joe  there,"  he  indi- 
cated the  Indian  bending  over  the  stove,  "doesn't 
know  his  strength,  and  he's  a  holy  terror  with  a 
whip-stock.  You  should  see  him  tackle  a  big  wolf 
dog  that's  turned  savage.  It's  a  sight  for  gods)  and 
men!" 

Roger  Bracknell  did  not  reply.  He  had  not  been 
aware  of  the  Indian's  entrance  on  the  previous 
night,  but  in  a  flash  he  divined  what  had  happened 
to  him,  and  why  his  head  ached  so  intolerably.  His 
cousin  continued  with  mocking  affability. 

[93] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"He  hit  you  rather  hard,  I  am  afraid,  but  we 
Bracknells  are  all  a  little  thick  in  the  skull,  and  I 
hope  no  real  harm  will  follow  on  Joe's  forceful 
intervention.  In  any  case  you  must  own  that  his 
arrival  was  a  most  opportune  one." 

"I  can  well  believe  you  found  it  so,"  answered 
the  corporal. 

"I  did,  Roger  my  boy,  I  did.  You  surprised  me 
last  night.  I  didn't  think  you  would  have  gone  for 
a  wounded  and  disabled  man.  It  was  scarcely 
chivalrous,  you  know." 

'You  were  armed,"  was  the  reply.     "I  wasn't." 

Dick  Bracknell  waved  his  pipe  airily.  "We  will 
let  it  pass.  What  is  done  is  done,  and  the  past  is 
always  to  be  reckoned  as  irrevocable,  as  I  know 
better  than  most  of  the  parsons.  The  present  and 
the  future  are  my  immediate  concern,  and  the  ques- 
tion is  what  am  I  to  do  with  you?" 

"That,"  answered  the  corporal  quietly,  "is 
scarcely  for  me  to  decide." 

"No,"  replied  his  cousin  with  a  little  laugh,  "but 
it  is  a  question  in  which  you  should  be  interested." 

Roger  Bracknell  was  interested,  intensely  inter- 
ested, but  he  strove  his  best  to  appear  unconcerned, 
and  after  a  moment  his  cousin  continued — 

"Joe  there  has  a  very  simply  solution.  He  sug- 
gests another  knock  on  the  head,  and  sepulchre  in 
the  river  through  an  ice-hole.  It  is  a  course  that 
would  be  advantageous  to  me,  since  your  body 
would  not  be  found  before  the  ice  breaks  up  in  the 
spring,  if  then,  and  in  the  interval  we  should  have 
time  to  clear  out  of  the  Territories." 

The  corporal  knew  that  what  he  said  was  true, 

[94] 


THE  HUSKS  OF  THE  PRODIGAL 

and  shivered  a  little  as  he  contemplated  the  sug- 
gested way  of  getting  rid  of  him,  but  his  voice  was 
firm  as  he  asked  casually,  "Why  don't  you  accept 
that  solution?" 

"Why  don't  I  accept — "  began  the  other,  and 
then  broke  off,  glowering  at  the  man  who  though 
in  his  power  was  apparently  undismayed.  Then  a 
sneer  came  on  his  face.  "Blood  is  thicker  than 
water,"  he  remarked.  "Though  you're  willing  to 
forget  that  we  are  cousins,  and  regardless  of  family 
ties  are  prepared  to  follow  your  d — d  sense  of 
duty,  I  can't  forget  it;  and  I'm  inclined  to  spare 
you,  and  even  to  cut  those  bonds  of  yours  on  con- 
ditions." 

"On  conditions!  What  are  they?"  asked  the 
corporal. 

"That  you  give  me  your  word  of  honour  that  you 
will  not  attempt  to  escape  or  to  attack  Joe  or  my- 
self whilst  you  are  with  us." 

The  corporal  wondered  what  was  in  his  cousin's 
mind  and  what  was  behind  the  offer,  but  he  was 
careful  not  to  probe  into  the  matter  openly. 

"You  will  accept  my  word  of  honour?"  he  asked 
with  a  faint  touch  of  surprise  in  his  voice. 

"Yes,"  answered  his  cousin  sneeringly.  "You 
see,  I  know  you  of  old.  The  Bracknell  strain  runs 
true  in  you,  whilst  it  has  a  twist  in  me.  ^  I  know 
you  won't  break  your  parole — if  you  give  it.  And 
of  course,  you  will  give  it.  It's  your  word  or  your 
life.  Ha !  Ha !  Quite  a  Dick  Turpin  touch  there, 
hey?" 

Roger  Bracknell  considered  the  matter  swiftly. 
So  far  as  he  could  see  there  was  nothing  to  gain  by 

[95] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

rejecting  the  offer,  since  he  was  completely  in  the 
other's  hands,  and  though  his  cousin  sneered  he  was 
clearly  quite  in  earnest. 

"I  might  be  disposed  to  give  my  word,  if — " 

"Man,"  broke  in  the  other  savagely,  "you  had 
better.  There  are  no  ifs  and  buts  about  it.  Look 
at  Joe  there.  He  doesn't  strike  you  as  one  who  will 
be  over  delicate,  does  he?  If  I  let  him  loose  you'll 
be  running  down  the  Elkhorn  under  the  ice  inside 
ten,  minutes.  You'd  better  agree — and  quickly. 
No!"  he  lifted  his  pipe  to  check  the  words  on  the 
corporal's  lips.  "Hear  me  out.  There's  another 
condition  yet,  and  it  is  this.  As  soon  as  I  am  able 
to  travel  you  will  accompany  me  without  demur  for 
four  days.  On  the  fifth  day,  I'll  release  you  and 
you  can  do  your  worst." 

The  corporal  hesitated.  There  was  something 
here  that  he  did  not  understand,  and  again  he 
wondered  what  lay  behind  the  proposal.  His 
cousin  watched  him,  and  as  he  did  not  speak,  ad- 
dressed him  again. 

"I  may  remind  you  what  the  situation  is.  You 
are  in  my  power.  If  you  can't  give  me  your  word, 
if  I  don't  fall  in  with  Joe's  more  primitive  sugges- 
tion, I  can  keep  you  tied  up  here,  and  I  can  leave 
you  tied  up  when  we  move  on;  or  I  can  lash  you  on 
to  a  sledge,  and,  willy  nilly,  take  you  along  with  us. 
That  must  be  quite  plain  to  you.  But  I  prefer  an 
amicable  arrangement.  .  .  .  You  will  give  me  your 
word?" 

Corporal  Bracknell  recognized  the  truth  of  his 
cousin's  utterances.  There  was  little  choice  in  the 
matter,  and  after  a  little  more  reflection  he  agreed. 

[96] 


"Yes,  Dick,  I  give  you  my  word  of  honour." 

"I  thought  you  would!"  Dick  Bracknell  laughed 
shortly  as  he  spoke,  and  then  turned  to  his  Indian 
companion.  "Just  take  your  knife,  Joe,  and  cut 
those  thongs." 

The  Indian  turned  from  the  stove  and  growled 
something  in  a  dialect  which  the  corporal  did  not 
understand.  He  guessed,  however,  that  the  Indian 
was  demurring,  and  with  mingled  feelings  waited 
to  see  what  would  happen.  His  cousin  spoke  again, 
and  this  time  there  was  a  peremptory  note  in  his 
voice. 

"Cut  those  thongs,  I  tell  you;  and  don't  stand 
there  growling  at  things  you  don't  understand." 

He  added  something  in  his  native  tongue,  and 
watching  the  Indian's  scowling  face,  the  corporal 
saw  the  frown  lift,  and  a  flicker  of  evil  laughter  leap 
into  the  single  eye.  A  moment  later  the  Indian 
stepped  up  to  him,  and  with  a  hunting  knife  cut 
the  hide  thongs  which  bound  him,  and  then  returned 
to  the  stove. 

The  corporal  stretched  his  arms,  then  his  whole 
body,  and  after  that  rose  slowly  to  his  feet.  His 
cousin  watched  him  with  eyes  that  smiled  inscrut- 
ably. 

"Feels  better,  hey?  You're  a  sensible  man, 
Cousin  Roger,  and  now  I  guess  we  shall  get  along 
famously.  A  pity,  though,  that  I  shan't  be  able  to 
sit  down  to  breakfast  with  you." 

"What  I  can't  understand  is  how  you  come  to  be 
here  at  all,"  blurted  the  corporal. 

"Oh,"  laughed  the  other,  "that's  as  simple  as 
you  please.  When  I  was  plugged  down  by  North 

[97] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Star,  I  must  have  lapsed  into  unconsciousness — for 
the  first  time  on  any  stage.  Whilst  I  was  lying 
there  in  the  snow — " 

"I  examined  you,"  broke  in  the  corporal.  "I 
thought  that  you  were  dead!" 

"But  as  you  see  I  wasn't,"  replied  the  other, 
"and  whilst  I  was  lying  there  in  the  snow;  Joe, 
who  was  waiting  with  the  dogs,  having  heard  the 
shots  came  to  look  for  me.  He  carried  me  to  the 
sled,  took  me  to  the  woods  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  made  a  fire,  and  having  doctored  me  brought 
me  along  here.  He's  a  good  sort  is  Joe,  though  his 
looks  are  against  him." 

The  corporal  did  not  reply.  From  the  trails  he 
had  found  in  the  snow,  he  had  already  guessed  part 
of  the  story  which  he  had  just  heard  and  was  not 
surprised  at  it.  The  wounded  man  laughed  shortly. 

"Joe  is  attached  to  me.  I  once  did  him  a  ser- 
vice, and  if  I  told  him  to  do  it  he'd  run  amuck 
through  Regina  barracks  without  demur1.  He 
doesn't  love  the  mounted  police,  as  he  owes  his 
lost  eye  to  one  of  them,  so  you  will  see,  cousin, 
that  only  my  family  affection  saves  you." 

The  Indian  turned  his  scarred  face  from  the  stove, 
and  laid  the  table  an  primitive  fashion.  Then 
having  attended  to  his  master,  he  placed  a  tin  plate 
with  moose  meat  and  beans  before  the  corporal, 
(filled  a  mug  with  steaming  coffee,  and  with  a  grunt 
invited  him  to  eat.  The  officer  did  sov  readily 
enough.  He  had  eaten  nothing  for  fourteen  hours 
and  was  feeling  hungry. 

"Plain  fare,"  comme'nted  his  cousin,  "but 
wholesome,  and  if  one  brings  to  it  the  sauce  of 
hunger,  it's  at  least  as  good  as  anything  we  had  at 

[98] 


THE  HUSKS  OF  THE  PRODIGAL 

Harrow  Fell.  .  .  .  And  that  reminds  me,  cousin. 
How  is  the  governor?" 

The  corporal  remembered  the  dignified  Sir  James 
Bracknell  as  he  had  last  seen  him,  and  although  he 
had  had  his  own  quarrel  with  him,  felt  resentment 
at  the  tone  in  which  the  question  was  asked. 

"He  was  very  well  when  last  I  saw  him,"  he 
answered  stiffly. 

"How  long  ago  is  that?" 

"Two  years." 

"Urn!  that's  a  goodish  time.  May  I  inquire  if 
he  knows  your  whereabouts?" 

"I  think  not.  I  didn't  tell  him  of  my  intentions 
when  I  came  here.  We: — er — had  a  difference  of 
opinion." 

Dick  Bracknell  laughed.  "I  don't  blame  you 
for  that.  He's  a  starchy  old  buffer  is  the  governor, 
and  a  regular  perambulating  pepper  pot."  He  was 
silent  for  a  moment,  and  then  he  inquired  jerkily, 
"How — a — did  he  take — that — a — a — little  affair 
of  mine?" 

"You  mean  the  selling  of  the  plans  of  the  Travis 
gun?" 

"There's  no  need  for  you  to  be  brutal  I"  was  the 
sharp  reply.  "I've  paid  pretty  heavily  for  that 
piece  of  madness.  You've  to  remember  that  I'm 
the  heir  of  Harrow  Fell,  and  that  if  I  show  my  nose 
in  England  I  shall  probably  get  five  years  at  Port- 
land or  Dartmoor." 

The  corporal  knew  that  this  was  true,  and  was 
conscious  of  a  little  compunction.  Without  allud- 
ing to  it  he  answered  the  question.  "Sir  James 
took  that  very  badly.  It  was  hushed  up,  of  course, 

[99] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

but  when  you  disappeared,  and  your  name  was 
gazetted  among  the  broken,  he  pressed  for  an 
explanation,  and  got  it.  As  you  can  guess,  proud 
old  man  as  he  is,  it  wasn't  a  nice  thing  for  him  to 
hear." 

"No.  .  .  .  Poor  old  governor!" 

A  strained  silence  followed,  and  a  full  two 
minutes  passed  without  any  one  speaking.  Then 
the  corporal  glanced  at  his  cousin.  The  latter  was 
sitting  in  his  bunk,  staring1  straight  before  him,  with 
a  troubled  look  in  his  eyes.  He  moved  as  the 
corporal  looked  at  him,  and  as  their  eyes  met,  he 
laughed  in  a  grating  way. 

"The  husks  are  not  good  eating,"  he  commented, 
"and  I've  been  feeding  on  them  ever  since  the  day 
I  skipped  from  Alcombe." 

The  corporal  was  still  silent,  a  little  amazed  at 
his  cousin's  mood,  and  the  other  spoke  again. 
"Don't  you  go  thinking  I  never  regret  things,  Roger 
my  boy.  There  never  was  a  prodigal  yet  who 
didn't  lie  awake  o'  nights  thinking  what  a  fool  he'd 
been.  And  for  some  of  us  there's  no  going  back 
to  scoop  the  ring  and  the  robe  and  to  feast  on  the 
fatted  veal.  .  .  .  There  are  times  when  I  think  of 
the  Fell,  and  hear  the  pheasants  clucking  in  the 
spinney.  And  I  never  sight  at  a  ptarmigan  but  I 
think  of  the  grouse  driving  down  the  wind  on 
Harrow  Moor.  Man — it's  Hell,  undiluted." 

The  corporal  pushed  the  tin  plate  from  him. 
He  felt  strangely  moved.  He  had  thought  of  his 
cousin  as  wholly  bad,  and  now  he  found  good 
mmgled  with  the  evil.  He  turned  round. 

[100] 


THE  HUSKS  OF  THE  PRODIGAL 

"Dick,  old  man,"  he  said  in  an  unsteady  voice, 
"you  might  make  good  yet,  if  you  tried." 

His  cousin  laughed  harshly.  "Not  me,  you 
know  better.  What  were  you  after  me  for? 
Whisky-running?  Yes!  I  thought  so.  That's 
bad  enough  for  a  man  of — a — my  antecedents. 
But  there  are  worse  things  credited  to  Koona  Dick, 
as  you'll  learn.  I've  got  too  far.  What  is  it  that 
fellow  Kipling  says?  'Damned  from  here  to 
Eternity'  ?  That's  me,  and  I  know  it." 

"You  can  pull  up  I"  urged  the  other.  "You  can 
make  reparation." 

"Reparation!"  exclaimed  the  other.  "Ah!  you 
are  thinking  of — Joy — my  wife,  aren't  you?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  corporal  simply. 

Dick  Bracknell's  mood  changed  swiftly. 
"What's  Joy  to  you?"  he  demanded  hoarsely. 
"You  know  her,  you've  talked  with  her,  consoled 
her,  I  don't  doubt.  What's  she  to  you?" 

As  he  spoke  his  tones  became  violent,  and  he  half 
threw  himself  out  of  the  bunk,  as  if  he  would  attack 
his  cousin.  The  Indian  started  to  his  feet,  and  his 
one  eye  glared  at  the  officer  malevolently.  The 
corporal  did  not  move.  As  his  cousin  shouted  the 
question  the  blood  flushed  his  face,  and  in  his  heart 
he  knew  that  he  could  not  answer  the  question,  with 
the  directness  demanded. 

"Don't  be  a  fool,  Dick,"  he  replied  quietly, 
never  saw  Joy  Gargrave  till  four  days  ago,  and  if  I 
talk  of  reparation,  well,  you'll  own  it  is  due  to  her." 

Dick  Bracknell's  jealous  passion  died  down  as 
suddenly  as  it  had  flamed.  He  threw  himself  back 
in  the  bunk  and  laughed  shakily. 

[101] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Perhaps  you're  right,"  he  said,  "but  it  is  one  of 
the  things  that  can't  be  done." 

"You  could  let  her  divorce  you !"  blurted  out  the 
corporal.  "It  would  be  the  decent  thing  to  do." 

"When  did  I  ever  do  the  decent  thing,"  retorted 
his  cousin  sneeringly.  "No,  Joy's  my  wife — and 
I'll  keep  her.  It  is  something  to  know  that  there 
are  millions  I  can  dip  my  hands  in  some  day,  and  a 
warm  breast  I  can  flee  to — " 

"Not  now  at  any  rate,"  broke  in  the  corporal 
sharply,  only  by  an  effort  restraining  himself. 
"Joy  has  started  for  England." 

"For  England — when?"  Dick  Bracknell's  face 
and  tones  expressed  amazement,  but  his  next  words 
were  burdened  with  suspicion.  "You're  not  lying 
tome?" 

"No,  it  is  the  truth.  Joy  started  for  England 
yesterday  morning.  I  saw  her  start." 

"And  I  can't  follow,"  commented  the  prodigal 
bitterly.  "That's  part  of  the  price  I  pay." 

He  did  not  speak  again  for  a  long  time,  and  the 
corporal  charged  his  pipe,  lit  it,  and  sat  smoking, 
staring  into  the  stove,  and  reflecting  on  the  mess  his 
cousin  had  made  of  his  life. 

At  the  end  of  half  an  hour  the  Indian  went  out, 
and  then  Dick  Bracknell  broke  the  silence. 

"I  wonder  what  Joy  thinks  of  me?  Did  she  tell 
you?" 

"She  knows  how  she  was  trapped — you  are 
aware  of  that,  of  course?  I  think  she  will  never 
forgive  you." 

"I'm  not  surprised,"  was  the  reply,  "and  yet, 
Roger,  I  think  the  world  of  her.  When  I  married 

[102] 


THE  HUSKS  OF  THE  PRODIGAL 

her  I  loved  her — and  I  wasn't  thinking  of  her 
money  overmuch.  It  was  Lady  Alcombe  who  put 
that  rotten  scheme  in  my  head.  If  I'd  only  been 
patient,  and  run  straight,  and  not  been  tempted  by 
that  agent  to  sell  the  secret  of  the  Travis  gun — but 
there's  a  whole  regiment  of  'if's'  so  what's  the  use 
of  gassing?  Anyway,  Joy's  mine — and  no  man  else 
can  get  her  while  I  live." 

It  was  the  last  word  he  said  upon  the  subject, 
and  nearly  three  weeks  later,  having  recovered 
sufficiently  to  travel,  he  journeyed  with  his  cousin 
and  the  Indian  up  the  Elkhorn.  On  the  fourth 
morning  of  that  journey  Roger  Bracknell  woke,  to 
find  that  preparations  were  already  well  advanced 
for  departure.  One  team  was  already  harnessed 
with  a  larger  complement  of  dogs  than  usual,  whilst 
his  own  sled,  with  three  dogs  standing  by,  was  still 
unharnessed.  His  cousin  indicated  it  with  a  jerk  of 
his  head. 

"We  part  company  to-day,  Roger.  I'm  sorry  to 
rob  your  dog  team,  but  Joe  insists  as  he's  afraid 
you'll  get  down  to  the  police-post  too  soon  for  us, 
if  we  leave  you  your  full  team.  Besides,  we're 
tackling  a  stiff  journey  and  we  shall  need  dogs 
before  we're  through.  We're  starting  immediately, 
and  you'll  have  to  breakfast  alone,  and  by  the  time 
you're  through  with  it  your  parole  is  off.  You 
understand?" 

The  corporal  nodded,  and  his  cousin  continued, 
"With  only  three  dogs  you  won't  be  such  a  fool  as 
to  try  and  trail  us,  and  we've  left  you  enough  grub 
to  get  you  down  to  North  Star  comfortably.  Your 
rifle's  there  on  the'top  of  your  sled,  and  I  trust  you 

[103] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

not  to  try  and  use  it  on  us  till  you've  eaten  your 
breakfast.  ...  So  long,  old  man." 

He  turned  lightly  away,  without  waiting  for  his 
cousin  to  speak,  and  the  corporal  heard  him  hum- 
ming an  old  chanson  of  the  Voyageurs — 

"Ah,   ah,    Babette, 
We  go  away; 
But  we  will  come 
Again,   Babette — 
Again  back  home, 
On—" 

The  song  failed  suddenly,  and  as  Joe  the  Indian 
cracked  his  whip  to  the  waiting  dogs,  Dick  Bracknell 
looked  back  over  his  shoulder.  His  face  was  white 
and  twisted  as  if  with  pain,  and  there  was  anguish 
in  his  eyes.  The  corporal  took  a  hasty  step  to- 
wards him,  but  was  waved  back,  and  the  team 
moved  forward,  the  runners  singing  on  the  wind- 
swept ice.  For  ten  minutes  the  officer  stood  watch- 
ing, until  the  cavalcade  passed  out  of  sight  behind  a 
tree-clad  island,  but  Dick  Bracknell  did  not  look 
back  once.  The  corporal  turned  to  the  fire  with  a 
musing  look  upon  his  face,  and  whilst  he  prepared 
breakfast,  his  mind  was  with  the  man  travelling  up 
the  river.  The  interrupted  chanson  haunted  him 
and  he  found  himself  searching  for  the  unsung  frag- 
ment. For  a  time  it  eluded  him,  but  presently  he 
found  it  and  hummed  to  himself — 

"—On   Easter   Day- 
Back  home  to   play 
On    Easter   day, 
Babette!     Babette!" 
[104] 


THE  HUSKS  OF  THE  PRODIGAL 

and  as  he  found  it  he  understood  to  the  full  the  look 
of  pain  upon  his  cousin's  face.  Again  he  looked  up 
the  river.  Beyond  the  island  a  line  of  black  dots 
appeared,  and  by  them  marched  two  larger  dots. 
"Poor  devil!"  he  murmured  as  he  turned  again  to 
the  fire. 


[105] 


CHAPTER  X 
A  DESPERATE  SITUATION 

AN  hour  later  Roger  Bracknell  started  on  his 
way  back  to  the  police-post,  in  a  not  very 
happy  frame  of  mind.  The  chief  of  Fort 
Pilgrim  was  a  man  with  little  tolerance  for  failure, 
and  the  corporal  knew  that  when  he  made  his  report 
it  would  be  received  with  frowns.  That  was  inevit- 
able, but  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  return. 
His  cousin  and  the  Indian  Joe  had  taken  very 
effective  measures  to  prevent  him  following  on  thir 
trail  when  they  had  left  him  with  a  depleted  dog- 
team  and  with  only  sufficient  rations  to  carry  him 
as  far  as  North  Star  Lodge.  Sorry  as  he  was  for 
his  cousin  he  yet  resented  the  action  which  had  left 
him  helpless,  and  his  failure  rankled  as  he  swung 
steadily  forward  on  the  southward  trail.  Before 
the  end  of  the  day,  however,  a  thought  came  to  him. 
Duty  was  duty,  and  if  he  could  reach  North  Star 
Lodge,  there  would  be  dogs  there,  and  he  could 
requisition  them  in  the  King's  name,  and  return  to 
the  pursuit.  It  did  not  seem  a  very  nice  thing  to 
contemplate,  but  his  oath  of  service  left  him  no 
option,  whilst  the  officer  at  Fort  Pilgrim  was  bound 
to  look  askance  at  the  whole  affair,  if  he  returned 
to  explain  that  Koona  Dick  was  his  cousin,  and  that 
he  had  escaped  him.  Besides,  there  was  Joy  to 
consider.  She  could  never  be  safe  from  molestation 

[106] 


A  DESPERATE  SITUATION 

whilst  Dick  Bracknell  was  at  large.  It  was  even 
possible  that  the  latter,  finding  the  Territory  grow- 
ing too  hot  for  him,  might  venture  to  follow  her  to 
England,  and  as  her  husband  claim  his  rights.  That 
must  be  prevented  at  all  costs,  even  at  the  cost  of 
Dick  suffering  incarceration  in  the  penal  prison  at 
Stony  Mountain. 

The  end  of  the  day,  however,  brought  an  un- 
looked-for event,  which  made  an  end  of  these  half- 
formed  plans.  He  had  camped  for  the  night,  and 
having  fed  his  dogs  with  the  dried  salmon-roe  which 
formed  their  staple  food,  was  preparing  his  own 
meal,  when  one  of  the  animals  gave  a  sudden  sharp 
howl  of  pain.  He  looked  hastily  round,  and  saw 
the  dog  twisted  in  some  kind  of  spasm,  its  backbone 
arched,  its  legs  jerking  in  a  strange  fashion.  He 
went  to  it,  and  as  he  approached  the  spasm  ended, 
and  the  dog  lay  in  the  snow  completely  exhausted. 
He  was  stooping  over  it,  wondering  what  was  the 
matter  when  the  other  two  dogs  howled  simultane- 
ously, and  he  turned  swiftly  to  see  one  of  them  leap 
straight  in  the  air,  and  in  a  moment  both  of  them 
were  in  spasms  similar  to  the  one  he  had  already 
witnessed,  and  before  his  eyes  one  of  them  curled 
up  like  a  bow,  then  suddenly  relaxed,  and  lay  stark 
and  dead. 

A  dark  suspicion  shot  through  his  mind,  as  he 
jerked  himself  upright.  The  first  dog  was  plainly 
at  the  point  of  death,  whilst  the  third  was  twisted 
by  spasms  that  could  have  but  one  ending.  He 
knew  that  there  could  be  no  recovery,  that  he  could 
do  nothing  for  them,  and  in  a  swift  impulse  of  mercy 
he  drew  his  pistol  and  shot  them.  Then  he  strode 

[107] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

to  the  sled,  and  lifting  the  small  bale  of  dog  food 
carried  it  to  the  fire,  and  by  the  flames  of  the  burn- 
ing pine  examined  it  carefully.  He  had  not  to  look 
long  before  he  came  upon  some  small  white  crystals 
in  the  creases  of  the  roe.  They  might  be  snow, 
they  might  be  frost  crystals,  but  he  did  not  think 
that  they  were  either,  and  selecting  one  of  the  small- 
est of  the  white  specks  he  placed  it  on  his  tongue. 
It  was  exceedingly  bitter  in  taste. 

"Strychnine!"  he  cried  aloud,  and  then  stood 
looking  at  the  dead  dogs  with  horror  shining  in  his 
eyes.  As  he  stood  there  one  question  was  beating 
in  his  brain.  "Who  has  done  this  thing?  Who? 
Who?" 

His  thoughts  flew  back  to  his  cousin.  Had  he — 
No!  He  could  not  believe  that;  for  whoever  had 
placed  the  strychnine  in  the  dog  food,  had  callously 
planned  to  murder  him.  And  bad  as  Dick  Brack- 
nell  was,  the  corporal  felt  that  his  cousin  would  not 
have  done  a  thing  like  this. 

"There's  that  Indian — Joe,"  he  said,  speaking 
his  thoughts  aloud.  "From  what  Dick  said  he  was 
afraid  of  me  .  .  .  and  he  would  have  disposed  of 
me  at  the  beginning  if  he  had  had  his  way!"  He 
was  silent  for  a  little  time,  then  he  nodded  his 
head.  "Yes!  The  Indian  did  it  without  Dick's 
knowledge." 

For  the  moment  he  refused  to  think  further 
about  the  matter.  About  him  was  the  gloom  of 
the  pines,  with  their  pall  of  snow,  and  everywhere 
the  terrible  silence  of  the  North.  Alone  and  with- 
out dogs  to  carry  his  stores,  the  situation  was  alto- 
gether desperate;  and  to  reflect  upon  it  overmuch 

[108] 


was  to  court  madness.  So  he  put  the  thought  of  it 
from  him  for  the  time  being,  and  after  dragging 
the  dead  dogs  into  the  shadow  of  the  forest,  resumed 
the  preparation  of  his  evening  meal.  When  he  had 
eaten  it,  he  erected  a  wind-screen,  and  lying  in  his 
sleeping  bag,  with  his  feet  to  the  fire,  lighted  a  pipe, 
and  once  more  considered  the  problem  before  him. 

It  was  at  least  four  days'  journey  to  North  Star 
Lodge,  probably  five  or  six,  since  he  would  have  to 
carry  the  necessaries  of  life  himself,  and  so  bur- 
dened would  not  be  able  to  travel  fast.  There 
was  food  for  four  days  on  the  sled,  and  to  make 
sure  of  reaching  North  Star,  he  would  have  to  put 
himself  on  rations,  and  travel  as  fast  as  he  could. 
Barring  accidents  there  was  an  even  chance  of  his 
getting  through,  but  if  any  ill-chance  arose  then — 
He  did  not  finish  the  thought.  Knocking  the  ashes 
out  of  his  pipe,  he  stretched  himself  down  in  the 
sleeping  berth,  and  presently  fell  asleep. 

When  he  awoke  it  was  still  dark,  and  the  fire  was 
burning  low.  He  looked  at  his  watch.  It  was  five 
o'clock.  He  stretched  himself  a  little,  and  thrust- 
ing his  arm  out  of  the  sleeping  bag,  he  threw  a 
couple  of  spruce  boughs  on  the  fire.  The  resinous 
wood  quickly  caught,  and  as  it  flared  up  he  looked 
round.  On  the  edge  of  the  circle  of  light,  which 
his  fire  cut  out  of  the  darkness,  something  caught 
his  eye.  He  looked  again.  Two  tiny  globes  of 
light,  about  three  feet  above  the  ground,  appeared 
to  be  suspended  on  nothing.  He  watched  them 
steadily,  and  for  the  briefest  moment  of  time,  saw 
them  eclipsed,  then  they  reappeared.  He  looked 
further.  There  were!  other  twin  globes  of  light, 

[109] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

scattered  all  round,  and,  as  the  spruce  crackled  into 
flame,  he  caught  sight  of  an  animal's  head,  and  the 
outline  of  its  form. 

"Timber-wolves!"  he  whispered  to  himself. 

Feeling  for  his  automatic  pistol,  he  lay  waiting 
his  opportunity.  Undoubtedly,  the  bodies  of  his 
dead  dogs  had  already  served  the  savage  beasts 
for  a  meal,  and  now  they  were  watching  him,  per- 
haps already  counting  him  their  prey. 

He  did  not  feel  particularly  afraid.  He  knew 
that  the  wolf  is  really  a  coward,  and  that  unless 
driven  by  hunger,  it  seldom  attacks  man,  but  all  the 
same  he  thought  it  wise  to  teach  the  beast  a  lesson. 
So  when  the  shadowy  form  of  one  of  the  beasts 
moved,  he  sighted  and  fired.  The  wolf  gave  a 
yelp,  jumped  clean  in  the  air,  and  dropped  dead  well 
within  the  circle  of  firelight.  He  looked  round 
again.  The  watching  eyes  in  the  darkness  had  dis- 
appeared. Presently  however  they  returned,  and 
lying  perfectly  still,  he  saw  a  gaunt  dog  wolf  slink 
out  of  the  shadows  towards  its  dead  comrade,  and 
fall  on  it  with  its  teeth.  Another  followed  and 
another,  and  a  moment  later  there  was  a  snarling 
tangle  of  furry  beasts  where  the  dead  wolf  had 
been. 

"Phew!"  he  whistled  to  himself,  as  he  noted 
their  disregard  of  the  firelight,  "they're  mad  with 
hunger!" 

He  emptied  his  pistol  into  the  bunch,  and  the 
pack  fell  back,  leaving  three  of  its  number  dead 
in  the  snow.  Of  the  first  wolf  nothing  remained 
but  the  skull  and  tail.  Behind  the  trees  the  snarling 
and  yelping  continued,  and  as  he  crept  out  of  his 

[110] 


A  DESPERATE  SITUATION 

sleeping  bag,  he  conjectured  that  others  of  the 
beasts  had  been  injured  by  his  shots,  and  were  fall- 
ing a  prey  to  their  hungry  companions.  There  was 
a  serious  look  upon  his  face,  as,  crossing  to  the 
other  side  of  the  fire,  he  picked  up  the  dead  wolves, 
and  one  by  one  flung  them  into  the  darkness,  where 
as  his  ears  assured  him  they  also  became  food  for 
their  famished  pack-mates. 

He  had  meant  to  commence  his  journey  at  an 
early  hour,  but  the  presence  of  the  wolf-pack  forced 
him  to  reconsider  his  plans,  and  to  delay  until  dawn. 
The  interval  he  filled  in  by  packing  his  stores  in  a 
convenient  form  for  carrying,  and  with  the  aid  of 
things  from  the  sled  and  his  sleeping  bag  he  devised 
a  knapsack,  which  whilst  it  bulked  large  was  not 
really  heavy.  Then  he  breakfasted,  and  that  done, 
as  the  dawn  broke,  looked  round  once  more.  On 
one  side  of  him  the  wolves  were  still  in  the  shadows 
of  the  trees,  and  as  he  turned  to  look  on  the  other, 
his  eye  caught  the  package  of  poisoned  salmon  roe, 
which  was  still  upon  the  sledge.  A  thought  struck 
him. 

"The  very  thing!"  he  muttered,  and  going  to  the 
sled,  he  broke  up  the  food  with  an  ax  and  then  scat- 
tered it  in  small  portions  about  the  camping  place. 

"I  shall  bag  some  of  them  for  certain,"  he  said,  as 
he  saw  the  wolves  watching  him.  "When  they  find 
it  they'll  bolt  it  like  one  o'clock." 

The  day  had  well  broken  when,  adjusting  his 
snowshoes,  he  shouldered  his  pack,  and  stepped  out 
on  the  trail.  None  of  the  wolves  were  now  in 
sight,  but  he  had  gone  only  a  little  way,  when  a 
sharp  howl  behind  him,  told  him  that  they  were  still 

[ill] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

about.  He  looked  back.  A  little  spur  of  trees  on 
the  bank  hid  his  late  camp,  but  as  he  glanced  back, 
a  wolf  leaped  on  the  ice,  ran  howling  a  short  way, 
then  dropped  in  the  snow.  Other  yelps  of  pain 
came  from  behind  the  screen  of  trees,  and  as  the 
sounds  reached  him  a  sigh  of  satisfaction  came  in 
his  eyes. 

"It's  working  like  a  charm,"  he  said  to  himself. 
"There's  an  end  of  Mr.  Wolf  for  this  trip,  I  fancy." 

As  he  journed  he  kept  a  sharp  look  out,  turning 
frequently  to  observe  the  trail  behind  him.  Not 
a  single  wolf  appeared,  and  through  the  short  day 
he  marched  on,  the  solitary  living  thing  in  a  land- 
scape that  was  unutterably  forlorn  and  desolate. 
The  quick  night  drew  on,  and  he  decided  to  camp. 
Halting  in  a  sheltered  cove  he  felled  a  small  spruce, 
gathered  some  dry  twigs  and  built  himself  a  fire, 
then  he  thrust  his  hand  to  his  tunic  pocket  for 
matches.  They  were  gone.  He  had  lost  them. 
For  a  minute  or  two  he  was  filled  with  dismay, 
and  real  terror  clutched  at  his  heart-strings,  for  to 
be  without  means  of  making  a  fire  in  the  desolate 
Northland,  is  to  have  entered  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death. 

Then  he  recalled  an  old  device  of  the  Voyageurs, 
and  proceeded  to  put  it  into  execution.  With 
his  jack  knife  he  cut  some  thin  shavings  of  spruce, 
mixed  them  with  a  handful  of  dead  lichen  scraped 
from  trees,  and  biting  the  bullets  from  a  couple  of 
cartridges  shook  the  powder  of  one  over  the  little 
heap  that  he  had  made,  and  with  that  from  the  other 
cartridge  made  a  short  train.  Then  he  fired  his 
pistol  to  light  the  train.  The  powder  caught, 

[112] 


A  DESPERATE  SITUATION 

spluttered  and  burned  out  without  lighting  the 
lichen  and  the  pine-shavings,  and  the  operation  had 
to  be  performed  three  times  before  it  was  successful. 
He  built  up  his  fire,  and  when  it  was  well  going,  and 
he  was  congratulating  himself  on  his  success  a 
thought  struck  him.  Hastily  he  examined  his 
bandolier.  He  had  but  three  cartridges  left. 

As  he  weighed  the  metal  shells  in  his  hand,  his 
face  grew  very  serious.  Each  of  them  carried  a 
message  of  death,  but  to  him,  as  his  sole  means  of 
making  a  fire,  they  were  to  him  the  bridge  of  life, 
and  a  precarious  bridge  at  that.  With  at  least 
three  camps  to  make  before  he  reached  North 
Star  Lodge,  he  recognized  that  the  chances  were 
almost  desperate,  and  that  only  care  and  skill  and 
a  large  slice  of  luck  could  carry  him  through.  Very 
carefully  he  stowed  the  cartridges  where  they  would 
be  safe  against  damp  or  accidental  loss,  and  then 
proceeded  to  cook  his  meal. 

The  next  morning  he  started  an  hour  before 
dawn.  Light  snow  was  falling,  but  he  could  not 
afford  to  regard  that,  and  on  snowshoes  he  pressed 
forward  steadily.  It  began  to  blow,  and  he  sought 
the  lee  of  the  river-bank  for  shelter,  then  that  hap- 
pened which  put  a  term  to  his  journey.  A  great  tree, 
well  up  the  bank,  collapsed  under  its  weight  of 
snow.  Roger  Bracknell  caught  the  rending  sound 
of  its  fall  and  instinctively  leaped  aside,  but  the 
snowshoes  embarrassed  him  and  he  fell.  A  bough 
of  the  falling  tree  alighted  on  his  right  leg,  snap- 
ping it  like  a  pipestem,  and  pinning  him  down  in  the 
snow. 

Under  the  first  shock  of  pain,  he  almost  fainted, 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

but  in  a  minute  or  two  recovered  himself  sufficiently 
to  take  stock  of  the  situation.  It  was,  as  he  instantly 
recognized,  very  desperate.  He  sat  up,  and  tried 
to  move  the  weight  from  his  leg.  The  bough  which 
held  him  fast  was  not  a  very  thick  one,  but  the 
weight  of  the  tree  was  behind  it,  and  with  his 
hatchet  he  began  to  cut  through  the  branch.  Every 
stroke  he  made  jarred  him  terribly,  and  more  than 
once  he  had  to  desist,  but  at  last  the  bough  parted, 
and  he  was  able  to  push  the  weight  from  his  leg. 
He  was,  however,  in  little  better  case,  since  he 
could  not  stand  upright;  and  to  crawl  would  have 
been  futile,  even  if  the  deepening  snow  had  allowed 
the  possibility  of  doing  so. 

He  looked  round,  and  through  the  falling  snow 
caught  sight  of  the  sombre  pinewoods.  They  had 
a  funereal  look,  and  in  their  shadows  brooded  the 
menace  of  the  North,  which  had  surely  overtaken 
him  at  last.  Death  was  staring  him  in  the  eyes. 
He  took  out  his  pocket  book,  and  made  shift  to 
write  a  note  to  his  superior  down  at  the  Post. 
Then  he  took  out  his  pistol,  and  loaded  it  with  one 
of  the  cartridges  that  had  held  his  life,  but  which 
now  carried  only  death,  swift  and  merciful.  It  was 
no  use  waiting.  He  held  the  pistol  ready,  and  for  a 
moment  his  thoughts  strayed  to  Joy  Gargrave. 
Would  she  ever  hear?  Would  she  guess  that 
he— 

His  thoughts  broke  off  suddenly.  Through  the 
gloom  of  the  falling  snow  he  caught  a  sound  of 
voices.  Some  one,  .it  seemed,  was  urging  a  dog- 
team  to  greater  efforts.  Was  he  dreaming?  He 
listened  carefully.  No!  There  it  was  again,  and 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

with  it  came  the  yelp  of  a  dog  cut  by  a  whip.  A 
great  wave  of  thankfulness  rolled  over  him.  He 
shouted  and  fired  his  pistol  in  the  air.  A  moment 
later  came  an  answering  shout,  and  he  called  back 
again.  Presently,  out  of  the  snow-murk  emerged 
the  forms  of  two  men — Indians,  and  as  they  bent 
over  him  he  lapsed  into  unconsciousness. 


CHAPTER  XI 
AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE 

SIR  JOSEPH  RAYNER,  as  a  solicitor,  was  at 
the  very  head  of  his  profession,  and  was  sup- 
posed to  be  trusted  with  more  family  secrets 
than  any  other  man  in  England.  -The  confidence  in 
him  was  extraordinary,  but  no  one  could  be  found 
to  urge  that  it  was  not  merited,  and  it  was  notorious 
that  he  had  averted  more  scandals  and  saved  more 
reputations  than  any  other  half  dozen  men  in  his 
profession.  Erring  husbands,  and  wives  deeply 
wronged,  sought  his  advice,  and  to  the  husbands  he 
was  a  man  of  the  world,  and  to  the  wives  a  sympa- 
thetic counsellor,  always  against  the  extreme  rem- 
edy of  the  divorce  courts.  To  prodigal  sons  he  was 
the  dispenser  of  paternal  allowances,  and  to  the 
men  caught  in  the  toils  of  the  blackmailer  he  was 
like  a  delivering  providence.  As  a  family  solicitor 
he  was  unsurpassed,  discreet  as  a  cabinet  minister 
at  question  time,  and  as  secret  as  the  grave.  And 
in  spite  of  his  burden  of  secrets,  usually  as  he 
walked  abroad  among  men,  he  wore  a  jaunty  air,  as 
befitted  a  man  with  not  a  trouble  of  his  own  in  the 
wide  world. 

But  one  winter  morning  as  he  sat  in  his  private 
office  his  brow  was  black  with  care,  and  his  demean- 
our was  as  far  removed  as  possible  from  the  gay 

[116] 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE 

one  which  his  confreres  knew.  Before  him  was  a 
small  ledger  with  a  lock  upon  it,  and  a  number  of 
documents,  and  as  he  bent  over  them,  from  time  to 
time  he  wrote  figures  upon  a  sheet  of  foolscap. 
Presently  he  began  to  add  up  the  figures,  and  that 
done  sat  staring  at  the  total. 

"Ninety-seven  thousand,"  he  whispered  to  him- 
self. "God!  If  anything  were  to  come  out!" 

He  sat  looking  at  the  figures,  tapping  softly  with 
his  pencil,  something  like  despair  shining  in  his  eyes. 

"Suppose  Adrian's  fine  scheme  goes  awry?  Or 
suppose  Joy  refuses  to  sign?" 

He  rose  from  his  chair  and  began  to  walk  to  and 
fro,  in  the  manner  of  a  man  whom  nervousness 
has  made  restless.  Once  he  stopped  and  glanced  at 
the  ledger,  then  nodded  his  head. 

"The  others  will  be  all  right,  if " 

The  whirr  of  the  telephone  bell  on  his  desk 
interrupted  his  thoughts.  Frowhingly  he  picked 
up  the  receiver,  and  gave  the  stereotyped  "Hallo!" 

"Is  that  really  you,  Adrian?  I  dich't  know  you 
had  arrived.  .  .  .  Last  night  you  say.  ...  I  didn't 
get  your  telegram.  I  was  dining  with  the  Chancel- 
lor, and  went  on  to  the  theatre  afterwards.  .  .  . 
Yes,  you  are  in  time,  though  I  have  been  praying  for 
your  arrival  for  days.  Things  are  very  tight,  and 
that  banker  is  getting  nervous.  .  .  .  Yes,  the  sooner 
the  better.  In  half  an  hour?  That  will  do  very 
nicely.  I  shall  expect  you  both  without  fail.  How 
goes  your  matrimonial  scheme?  .  .  .  Urn!  Hangs 
fire  a  little  does  it,  but  you're  certain  of  the  end. 
Well  the  earlier  it  is  arrangedj  the  better  I  shall  be 
pleased.  My  nerves  are  not  what  they  were.  But 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

we  can  talk  the  whole  business  over  later.  Thank 
heaven,  I'm  her  guardian,  and  there's  only  my  con- 
sent to  be  obtained.  What  sort  of  a  savage  has  she 
become  in  these  three  years?" 

As  he  listened  to  the  reply  to  his  last  question  a 
cynical  smile  came  on  his  face.  "Sounds  as  if  you 
had  fallen  in  love!  .  .  .  You  have,  hey?  Well, 
well  (he  laughed  a  little),  love  is  as  good  a  qualifi- 
cation for  matrimony  as  anything  I  know,  except 
a  thundering  big  bank  account.  .  .  .  Yes,  yes,  I 
know.  ...  I  shall  be  waiting.  That's  all,  I 
think." 

Putting  down  the  receiver,  he  began  to  gather 
up  the  scattered  papers  on  his  desk,  and  after  tying 
them  together  with  tape,  he  placed  them  in  a  large 
envelope  and  sealed  them  with  his  private  seal. 
Then  he  locked  the  books  and  placed  both  the  book 
and  the  envelope  in  the  safe.  Care  appeared  to 
have  fallen  from  him  like  a  garment.  He  even 
hummed  a  little  catch  from  the  halls  as  he  took 
from  the  safe  a  new  set  of  papers.  Any  one  look- 
ing at  him  would  not  have  known  him  for  the  care- 
ridden  man  of  ten  minutes  before.  Once  more  he 
was  the  Sir  Joseph  Rayner,  whom  the  city  knew, 
smiling,  cheerful,  and  exceeding  prosperous. 

"That  will  do,  I  think,"  he  said  as  he  arranged 
the  papers  on  the  desk.  "Fortunately  the  girl  has 
no  business  experience." 

Then  he  went  to  a  small  cabinet  in  the  room, 
and  helped  himself  to  a  glass  of  port  of  a  favourite 
vintage,  and  to  while  away  the  time  smoked  a  couple 
of  cigarettes,  gazing  into  the  fire  with  a  musing  look 
upon  his  face.  At  the  sound  of  voices  in  the  office 

[us] 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE 

of  the  head  clerk,  he  threw  away  his  cigarette  and 
turned  to  the  door.  A  knock  sounded,  and  the 
door  opened. 

"Miss  Gargrave  and  Mr.  Adrian,  Sir  Joseph." 

A  moment  later  he  was  on  his  feet  welcoming  the 
travellers. 

"This  is  a  pleasure,  Joy.  I  did  not  know  that 
you  had  arrived  until  half  an  hour  ago,  not  having 
had  the  telegram  which  Adrian  sent  me.  You  look 
wonderfully  well,  and  Adrian  looks  all  the  better 
for  his  vacation.  Take  this  chair,  Joy,  and  throw 
off  your  furs!  The  cigarettes  are  on  the  mantel- 
piece, Adrian,  if  Joy  does  not  mind." 

He  looked  at  her  with  a  smile  and  Joy  shook  her 
head. 

"Not  in  the  least,  Uncle  Joseph  I  Adrian  knows 
that!" 

"Then  we  can  indulge.  But  how  are  you? 
You  have  not  yet  told  me,  though  of  course  there 
is  no  need.  You  have  the  authentic  hue  of  health 
in  your  chee'ks,  and  goodness!  what  a  woman  you 
have  become!  I  could  almost  find  it  in  my  heart 
to  envy  Adrian  the  long%  journey  you  have  made 
together!"  He  laughed  a  little  as  he  spoke,  and 
glanced  from  Joy  to  his  son.  A  slight  frown  showed 
itself  on  the  young  man's  face,  and  interpreting 
it  rightly,  Sir  Joseph  deftly  took  another  line. 

"You  have  not  found  the  journey  too  trying, 
I  hope,  my  dear  Joy?  But  I  forget.  Of  course 
you  are  inured  to  difficulties  and  hardships  at  North 
Star,  and  a  journey  of  four  or  five  thousand  miles 
does  not  daunt  you  as  it  would  a  city  man  like 
myself." 

[119] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Joy  laughed  a  little.  "There  was  not  much 
hardship  once  we  struck  the  railway.  A  first-class 
Pullman  and  a  state-room  on  a  Cunarder  are  in 
themselves,  alleviations  of  the  tedium  of  a  winter 
journey!" 

Sir  Joseph  laughed  with  her.  "Possibly!  But 
it  is  not  every  one  who  would  find  them  so.  I  think 
I  could  not  undertake  such  a  journey  now.  And  I 
hope  there  will  be  no  need  for  you  to  do  so  again. 
Now  we  have  you  this  side  of  the  herring  pond, 
I  hope  we  may  keep  you  here  for  a  very  long  time. 

Your  days  of  exile  are  over,  and  North  Star  Lodge 
» 

"Please,  uncle,"Joy  intervened  quickly.  "Please 
do  not  say  anything  against  North  Star.  I  think 
of  it  as  my  home.  I  was  born  there,  you  know, 
and  I  have  not  found  these  three  years  to  be  like 
years  of  exile — they  have  been  full  of  happy  days." 

"Possibly,"  laughed  the  lawyer,  "but  there  are 
many  sorts  of  happiness,  and  after  the  pleasures  of 
the  wilderness  you  will  be  the  better  fitted  to 
appreciate  the  delights  of  civilization,  since  all 
things,  as  you  know,  gain  by  contrast.  .  .  .  But 
where  is  Miss  La  Farge?  I  thought — " 

"She  is  at  the  hotel.  She  was  a  little  tired,  but 
I  think  that  was  an  excuse.  She  knew  that  I  was 
coming  here  to  do  business — " 

"Of  course!  Of  course!  Very  considerate  of 
her  I  am  sure;  but  there  was  no  need  for  her  to  be 
so  punctilious.  But  business  is  really  of  a  very 
simple  nature,  merely  the  signing  of  a  few  docu- 
ments which  can  be  completed  in  under  half  an 
hour."  He  waved  a  hand  towards  the  desk.  "I 

[120] 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE 

have  anticipated  your  arrival,  and  everything  is  in 
order  for  your  signature." 

Joy  glanced  at  the  desk,  and  caught  sight  of  the 
papers.  "Perhaps  you  will  explain  what  the  situa- 
tion is,"  she  said.  "I  am  not  sure  that  I  under- 
stand." 

"Certainly,"  answered  Sir  Joseph  with  a  suave 
smile.  "It  is  not  very  complicated.  Your  father, 
as  you  know,  left  a  very  large  fortune — something 
over  a  million  pounds — in  trust  for  you,  and  by  his 
will  made  me  your  guardian  and  sole  trustee.  One 
of  the  conditions  of  the  will  was  that  for  three 
years  you  were  to  live  at  North  Star  Lodge,  and 
at  the  end  of  that  time  you  were  to  be  free  to  enter 
upon  your  inheritance.  You  have  fulfilled  the 
condition,  and  you  now  inherit.  Indeed  you  ought 
to  have  done  so  some  months  ago,  and  as  my 
trusteeship  ended  with  the  fulfilling  of  the  condi- 
tions, there  are  certain  actions  of  mine  that  ought 
to  be  regularized,  and  for  which  I  shall  require  your 
signature." 

"I  do  not  quite  follow,"  said  the  girl. 

"It  is  very  simple.  You  were  not  here  to  admin- 
ister the  estate,  and  though  I  had  no  authority  from 
you,  I  was  compelled  to  do  so.  Of  course  as  your 
uncle  and  guardian  there  was  really  nothing  else  for 
me  to  do." 

"Of  course!  Of  course!"  answered  Joy  hur- 
riedly. "And  you  want  my  signature  to — to  put 
things  right." 

"Just  that!"  answered  Sir  Joseph  smilingly. 

"Then  the  sooner  you  have  it  the  better," 
laughed  Joy.  "Shall  I  sign  them  at  once?" 

[121] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"If  you  like,"  answered  the  lawyer  in  casual 
tones,  though  there  was  a  little  flash  of  eagerness 
in  his  eyes. 

"It  will  take  but  a  few  moments." 

He  moved  towards  the  desk,  and  as  Joy  rose 
from  her  seat  near  the  fire  placed  a  chair  in  position 
for  her.  The  girl  seated  herself,  glanced  carelessly 
at  the  first  document  he  placed  before  her,  and  then 
asked,  "Where  do  I  sign?" 

"Here !'  answered  the  lawyer,  indicating  the 
place.  Joy  signed  quickly.  There  were  other 
papers  that  she  did  not  even  look  at,  but  promptly 
signed  each  one  in  turn,  as  it  was  presented  to  her. 
When  she  had  finished  she  laid  down  the  pen  with 
a  little  laugh. 

"I  feel  quite  a  woman  of  business." 

"But  you  are  not  yet  out  of  the  wood,"  laughed 
Sir  Joseph.  "There  is  another  important  matter 
to  be  settled,  and  that  is  the  future  management 
of  the  estate.  It  is  now  your  own  to  do  with  as 
you  like.  You  may  wish  to  carry  through  all 
transactions  relating  to  it  yourself,  in  which  case 

M 

"Oh  no!  no!"  cried  Joy  protestingly.  "I  should 
be  worried  to  death.  You  must  manage  it  for  me 
in  the  future  as  you  have  done  in  the  past.  I  could 
not  possibly  undertake  such  a  task." 

The  lawyer  smiled.  "I  was  hoping  that  you 
would  think  of  that  course,  though,  for  obvious 
reasons  I  did  not  care  to  suggest  it.  It  will  be 
much  simpler  for  you  merely  to  have  monies  paid 
into  your  account  instead  of  occupying  perhaps 
several  hours  per  week  in  worrying  over  invest- 

[122] 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE 
ments."     He   laughed   a   little.     "You   would  re- 
quire an  office  and  at  least  a  couple  of  clerks,  Joy." 
"Oh  dear!''  laughed  Joy,  "that  must  never  be." 
"Then  I  will  take  the  burden  off  your  hands,  and 
you  will  have  to  give  me  power  of  attorney." 

"What  is  that?"  inquired  Joy,  adding  merrily, 
"I  am  discovering  an  abysmal  ignorance  in  my- 
self." Sir  Joseph  explained,  and  the  girl  nodded. 
"Of  course.  There  is  no  difficulty  about  that.  It 
only  gives  you  the  right  to  continue  to  exercise  the 
powers  you  have  had  up  to  now,  and  it  will  save  me 
a  great  deal  of  worry.  I  suppose  there  will  be  an- 
other document  to  sign?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  lawyer  smilingly.  "One 
more  document  to  sign.  Fortunately  I  anticipated 
what  your  wishes  would  be;  and  I  had  it  prepared." 
He  looked  at  his  son.  "We  must  have  a  witness, 
Adrian.  Just  ring  for  Benson,  will  you?" 

The  young  lawyer  touched  a  bell,  and  a  moment 
later  a  clerk  entered. 

"Yes,  Sir  Joseph." 

"In  a  moment,  Benson.  I  want  you  to  witness 
Miss  Gargrave's  signature." 

He  went  to  the  safe,  took  from  it  yet  another 
document  which  he  gave  to  the  girl. 

"Read  it,  Joy." 

"If  I  must,"  answered  Joy,  and  ran  through  it 
carelessly. 

Then  she  signed  it,  and  the  clerk  having  wit- 
nessed it  and  been  dismissed,  Sir  Joseph  gathered 
all  the  papers  together,  and  locked  them  up. 
"Business  is  over  for  the  day,"  he  said.  ^  "I'm 
going  to  take  a  holiday.  You  will  lunch  with  me 

[123] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

at  the  Ritz,  Joy,  you  and  Adrian.  I  shall  take  no 
denial." 

"But  there  is  Babette — "  began  Joy. 

"Oh,  we  will  telephone  to  her,  and  pick  her  up 
on  the  way.  We  shall  then  be  quite  a  complete 
little  party,  and  tonight  we  will  dine,  and  go  on  to 
a  theatre  afterwards.  You  will  not  have  seen 
much  acting,  of  late — " 

"None  at  all,"  laughed  Joy,  "for  three  whole 
years." 

"Then  we  must  certainly  go,"  answered  her 
uncle.  "Let  me  see — ah,  yes!  There  is  the 
'Grizzly  Cub,'  a  Klondyke  play,  pure  American  and 
very  strenuous  and  exciting.  I  have  seen  it  once, 
but  I  should  like  to  see  it  again,  with  some  one  who 
knows  the  country  of  the  play.  To  me  it  seems 
very  real,  and  if  it  has  illusions  for  you  who  know 
the  life,  I  shall  know  that  it  is  really  good.  We 
will  go  there.  Adrian,  just  tell  Benson  to  ring  up 
the  Mitre  and  engage  a  box  for  me,  and  have  my 
car  brought  round  from  the  garage." 

It  was  a  merry  party  that  lunched  at  the  Ritz. 
There  was  not  a  hint  of  the  care  that  had  betrayed 
itself  in  the  lawyer's  face  in  the  solitude  of  his 
private  room.  He  was  the  gay,  debonair  man  of 
the  world  that  all  his  acquaintances  knew,  and  he 
exerted  himself  to  make  the  lunch  an  agreeable 
one.  But  from  time  to  time,  he  allowed  his  eyes 
to  stray  towards  a  table  where  a  couple  of  young 
men  were  lunching  with  a  lady.  They  seemed 
very  interested  in  his  own  party,  and  presently  he 

[124] 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE 

saw  the  lady  rise  from  her  seat  and  walk  towards 
his  table.  At  the  same  moment  Joy  Gargrave 
looked  up,  and  as  she  caught  the  young  lady's  eyes, 
started  impulsively  from  her  seat. 

"You,  Penelope!"  she  cried. 

"You,  Joy!"  mimicked  the  other.  "I  thought 
you  were  dwelling  in  the  forest  primeval?" 

"I  arrived  in  London  last  night.  I  expect  to  stay 
a  little  time  in  England.  The  years  of  what  my 
uncle  calls  my  exile  are  over."  She  glanced  at  the 
lawyer.  "Do  you  know  my  uncle?  No!  Then 
I  must  introduce  you.  Uncle,  this  is  Miss  Pene- 
lope Winter,  an  old — " 

"You  are  wrong,  Joy,"  laughed  the  lady. 
"This  is  no  longer  Miss  Penelope  Winter.  This 
is  Mrs.  Will  Grasmore  of  Grasmore  Grange,  West- 
morland." 

"You  are  married?"  cried  Joy. 

Mrs.  Will  Grasmore  waved  a  hand  towards  the 
table  she  had  just  left.  "There  'sits  the  happy 
man,  whose  complete  happiness  began  three 
months  ago." 

"Which — "  began  Joy,  and  then  stopped  sud- 
denly, as  a  curious  look  came  on  her  face.  "Of 
course !  I  see !  The  other  one  is  Geoffrey  Brack- 
nell,  isn't  it?" 

"Yes,"  laughed  her  friend,  "and  he  is  dying  to 
renew  the  acquaintance  he  began  in  Westmorland 
four  years  ago!  May  I  bring  him  and  Will  over? 
I  see  that,  like  ourselves,  you  are  almost  at  the 
end  of  lunch.  We  might  take  coffee  together." 

For  the  fraction  of  a  minute  Joy  hesitated.     Sir 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Joseph,  who  was  watching  her,  noticed  that  hesita- 
tion, though  he  was  the  only  one  who  did.  Then 
Joy  spoke. 

"Well,  if  you  like,  Penelope,  and  if  my  uncle 
doesn't  mind.  I  am  his  guest,  and — " 

"Oh,  Sir  Joseph  will  not  mind.  I  am  sure," 
answered  Mrs.  Winter,  flashing  a  smile  at  the 
lawyer  and  assuming  his  consent,  hurried  back  to 
her  own  table. 

"Did  you  say  that  the  young  man  with  Mr. 
Winter  was  named  Bracknell?"  asked  Adrian  Ray- 
ner  suddenly. 

There  was  just  a  splash  of  colour  in  Joy's  cheeks 
as  she  replied  shortly,  "Yes!" 

"I  wonder  if  he  is  any  relation  of  that  Mounted 
policeman  who  came  to  North  Star,  when — " 

"He  is  his  cousin,"  answered  Joy  quickly.  "His 
father  is  Sir  James  Bracknell  of  Harrow  Fell. 
Geoffrey  is  the  second  son." 

"Ah!  I  remember  them,"  broke  in  Sir  Joseph. 
"There  was  another  son  who  disgraced  himself  and 
his  family.  He  disappeared.  I  wonder  what  has 
become  of  him.  The  succession  to  that  estate  will 
offer  a  pretty  tangle  for  somebody  to  unravel  some 
day,  Adrian." 

His  son  nodded,  but  uttered  no  comment.  His 
eyes  were  fixed  on  Joy,  as  if  he  found  something 
particularly  interesting  in  her  demeanour  at  the 
moment.  At  his  father's  words  the  splash  of  colour 
had  ebbed  swiftly  from  her  cheeks  leaving  them 
rather  pale,  but  Joy's  manner  was  perfectly  self- 
possessed,  and  there  was  little  to  indicate  that  she 

[126] 


was  passing  through  a  moment  of  stress.  Her 
cousin  still  watched  her  when  the  others  joined 
them,  and  at  the  moment  of  meeting  flashed  a 
quick  searching  glance  at  Geoffrey  Bracknell.  The 
young  man's  face  was  eager.  There  was  a  light  in 
his  eyes  that  told  that  Mrs.  Winter's  statement 
about  his  wish  to  renew  acquaintance  with  Joy  had 
not  been  over-coloured,  and  as  he  marked  it,  Adrian 
Rayner  smiled  enigmatically  to  himself. 

Sir  Joseph  also  noticed  it,  and  it  troubled  him  a 
little.  He  was  thoughtful  during  the  remainder  of 
the  lunch,  and  even  more  thoughtful  when,  on  the 
evening  of  that  same  day,  they  again  encountered 
young  Bracknell  in  the  foyer  of  the  theatre.  He 
was  obviously  waiting  for  them,  and  the  lawyer  was 
far  from  pleased  to  learn  that  he  had  taken  the 
next  box  to  his  own.  He  was  still  less  pleased  when 
the  young  man  made  an  excuse  for  visiting  them 
between  the  acts,  and  it  required  all  his  skill  to 
avoid  an  acceptance  of  the  invitation  to  supper 
which  he  extended  to  Sir  Joseph's  party. 

"My  dear  Bracknell,  you  are  too  late.  Our  sup- 
per is  already  ordered.  On  another  occasion,  per- 
haps, but  tonight  it  is  quite  impossible." 

"You  did  not  tell  me  you  had  an  admirer,"  he 
said  to  Joy,  rallying  her  a  little  time  later. 

"An  admirer !"  Joy  laughed.     "Who—" 

"Young  Bracknell !  He  is  most  obviously  in  love 
with  you." 

"Oh  no!  no!"  whispered  Joy  quickly,  all  the 
laughter  dying  suddenly  from  her  face.  "You  are 
mistaken.  It  ...  it  would  be  too  ...  too  .  .  .-• 

[127] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

The  sentence  went  unfinished,  and  Sir  Joseph, 
noticing  her  face,  did  not  press  for  the  conclusion. 
He  was  silent  for  a  little  time,  wondering  what  lay 
behind  her  sudden  change  of  manner.  Then  he 
spoke  again. 

"Young  Bracknell  is  not  your  only  admirer,"  he 
said  smilingly.  "You  have  another." 

"Indeed,"  said  Joy,  very  obviously  embarrassed. 

"Yes!  Adrian  is  very  deeply  in  love.  He  con- 
fided the  fact  to  me  this  morning.  ...  I  hope,  my 
dear,  that  you  will  be  able  to  listen  to  him,  that  you 
will  be  able  to  give  a  favourable — " 

"Oh!"  interrupted  Joy  nervously,  "you  must 
not  ask  me,  uncle.  I  shall  never  marry.  Never !" 

"Never,  my  dear  Joy!  That,  it  is  often  re- 
marked, is  a  very  long  time!"  He  smiled  indul- 
gently as  he  spoke,  and  then  added,  "I  hope  we  may 
yet  induce  you  to  reconsider  your  very  youthful  de- 


cision." 


Joy  did  not  answer.  Her  face  was  very  pale, 
and  she  sat  staring  at  the  stage  with  tragic  eyes, 
not  watching  the  actors,  but  visiontng  a  body  lying 
in  the  snow  in  the  sombre  woods  at  North  Star. 


[128] 


CHAPTER  XII 


«¥"T'OW!" 

I      I    As  Corporal  Roger  Bracknell  opened  his 

-•-  -*•  eyes,  this  characteristic  Indian  greeting 
broke  on  his  ears,  and  he  stirred  uneasily.  Slowly 
the  full  consciousness  of  things  came  back  to  him. 
and  with  it  the  sense  of  intolerable  pain  in  one  of 
his  legs.  He  raised  his  head  to  look  at  the  leg 
and  stretched  a  hand  towards  it  at  the  same  time. 
Another  hand  intervened  hastily. 

"No.  Not  dat!  You  damage  ze  leg,  if  you 
touch.  It  vaire  bad!" 

The  corporal  turned  his  eyes.  The  two  men 
were  standing  near  the  bale  of  skins  on  which  he  was 
lying,  one  of  them  of  pure  Indian  blood,  and  the 
second,  who  had  uttered  the  warning,  manifestly 
a  half-breed.  Behind  them  in  the  darkness  of  the 
tepee  was  a  third  man,  also  an  Indian.  He  ad- 
dressed himself  to  the  half-breed. 

"How  did  I  come  here?" 

"Lagoun  and  Canim  dey  find  you  on  ze  trail.  A 
tree  hav'  fallen  an'  crack  your  leg  like  a  shell  of 
the  egg.  You  not  able  to  move,  so  dat  eef  dey  not 
come  soon,  you  dead  mans  along  of  ze  cold  which 
freeze  ze  blood.  Dey  bring  you  here  an'  I  set  ze 
leg,  so  dat  it  grow  together  again.  Dat  is  all!" 

[129] 


;THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Coporal  Bracknell  looked  towards  the  two  In- 
dians. "I  am  very  grateful  to  you,  Lagoun  and 
Canim,  and  I  shall  not  forget,"  he  said.  "I  shall 
report  good  of  them  at  the  Post.  But  where  am 
I?" 

"At  ze  winter  encampment  of  my  people!"  was 
the  reply. 

"Of  your  people.     Who  are  you  then?" 

"I  am  Chief  Louis  of  ze  Elkhorn  tribe.  You 
hear  of  me,  maybe?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  corporal  quickly.  "Who  is 
there  that  has  not?" 

He  looked  with  interest  on  the  man,  who  was 
the  son  of  a  French-Canadian  and  an  Indian 
mother,  and  who  throwing  in  his  lot  with  his 
mother's  people  had  risen  to  the  headship  of  the 
tribe.  And  whilst  he  looked  at  him  the  Chief 
spoke  again. 

"It  ees  not  good  to  walk  alone  in  ze  North  with- 
out dogs  an'  sled  as  Lagoun  and  Canim  find  you." 

"It  is  very  bad,"  laughed  the  policeman  weakly. 
"But  part  of  my  dogs  were  stolen  from  me,  and 
the  others  died." 

"Dat  is  vaire  bad,"  was  the  reply.  "Lagoun  and 
Canim  dey  find  ze  sled,  and  dead  wolves — many  of 
dem.  Dey  haf  been  poisoned.  How  befell  it,  so?" 

The  corporal  explained,  carefully  avoiding  any 
reference  to  his  cousin  and  the  latter's  Indian  com- 
panion, and  when  he  had  finished,  the  Chief  nodded 
approbation. 

"Dat  was  clevaire  to  poison  ze  wolves,  for  dey 
bav'  ze  hunger-madness  at  dis  time,  ze  mooze  be- 
ing scarce  in  ze  woods." 

[130] 


A  DASTARDLY  DEED 

For  a  little  time  Bracknell  did  not  speak,  then 
he  glanced  down  towards  his  leg,  and  asked,  "Is 
it  very  bad?" 

"It  veel  knit  together  like  ze  ice  on  ze  river!*' 
was  the  reply.  "An'  you  veel  not  be  lame  mans. 
No!  But  two  months  veel  pass  before  you  take 
ze  trail  again." 

"Two  months.  The  ice  will  be  breaking  up  by 
then." 

"Oui!  dat  so!  But  what  matter?  Time  it  ees 
long  in  ze  North,  an'  we  can  talk  together.  Where 
did  the  trail  lead  for  you,  m'sieu?" 

"I  was  making  for  North  Star  Lodge  in  the  first 
instance.  There,  I  hoped  to  get  dogs  to  take  me 
to  the  police  post." 

Chief  Louis  did  not  speak  for  a  little  time.  He 
lit  an  Indian  pipe  made  of  some  soft  stone  with  a 
hollowed  twig  for  stem,  pulled  thoughtfully  at  it 
a  few  times,  blowing  out  clouds  of  acrid  smoke, 
then  he  said  slowly,  "You  were  going  to  North 
Star?  You  ever  know  Missi  Gargrave's  father?" 

"No !"  answered  the  policeman.     "He  was  dead 
before  I  came  so  far  North.     I  understand  that  he 
was  caught  in  the  ice  in  the  Yukon — and  lost.     The 
bottom  dropped  out  of  the  trail  or  something." 
"Him  die,  oui,"  was  the  brief  reply. 

Something  in  the  other's  tone  caught  the  police- 
man's attention.  He  looked  at  him  quickly.  The 
half-breed's  face  was  like  that  of  a  wooden  image, 
but  there  was  a  glitter  in  the  eyes  that  betrayed  an 
excitement  which  the  mask-like  visage  concealed. 

"Ah!"  he  commented.  "You  know  how  Rolf 
Gargrave  died!" 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"I  not  say  so!  But  I  tink  an'  tink,  an'  I  tink 
it  was  not  good  ze  way  Gargrave  die.  Non!" 

Bracknell  waited,  but  the  half-breed  did  not  con- 
tinue, and  after  a  little  time  he  said  quietly,  "Tell 
me." 

"Not  now.  It  is  ze  hour  of  ze  evening  meal; 
an'  ze  tale  will  keep.  I  tell  you  anoder  time." 

He  knocked  the   ashes   from  his  pipe,   nodded 
gravely  at  the  officer  and  passed  out  of  the  tepee, 
leaving  Bracknell   the   prey   of   a   great  curiosity. 
What  on  earth  was  the  tale  which  the  half-breed 
had  to   tell   about   Rolf  Gargrave's   dearth?     He 
recalled  the  little  that  he  had  heard  about  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  Northland  millionaire  and  could 
remember  nothing  which  indicated  that  his  death 
had  been  due  to  anything  but  an  accident.     As  he 
remembered  the  story  the  river-ice  on  which  Mr. 
Gargrave  and  his  party  of  four  Indians  had  been 
travelling  had  suddenly  turned  rotten,   in  North- 
land phrase,  "the  bottom  had  dropped  out  of  the 
trail,"    and   the  whole  party   had  been    drowned, 
with  a  single  exception.     The  exception  was  one  of 
the  Indians  who  had  managed  to  crawl  out,   and 
later  in  the  day  reached  an  Indian  lodge   there, 
after  telling  the  story  of  the  disaster,   to  die  of 
cold  and  exhaustion.     Mr.  Gargrave's  death  had 
been  a  tragedy,  but  such  tragedies  were  not  uncom- 
mon in  the  North;  and  the  police,  hearing  of  the 
event  months  afterward,  had  seen  no  reason  for 
investigation.     Every  spring  brought  similar  stories 
with  it;   and  would,  so  long  as  men  persisted  in 
keeping  to  the  ice-trails  when  once  the  spring  thaw 
had  set  in. 


A  DASTARDLY  DEED 

But  Chief  Louis's  vague  hints  had  perplexed 
Roger  Bracknell,  and  awakened  formless  suspicions 
in  his  mind.  Suppose  that  the  death  of  Joy's  father 
had  not  been  an  accident,  suppose — 

He  broke  off  his  conjectures.  It  was  no  use  in- 
dulging in  idle  speculations  when  a  short  time  would 
probably  dispose  of  any  need  for  them.  He  gave 
his  mind  to  the  consideration  of  his  own  position. 
As  he  recognized,  his  escape  from  death  had  been 
a  very  narrow  one,  and  though  he  would  have  to 
remain  where  he  was,  probably  for  many  weeks,  he 
counted  himself  fortunate.  Chief  Louis  held  the 
Mounted  Police  in  esteem,  and  would  look  after 
him  well,  and  though  the  delay  would  probably 
mean  that  his  Cousin  Dick  would  escape,  he  could 
not  find  it  in  his  heart  to  regret  that  over  much. 
The  Indian,  Joe,  was  another  matter.  He  was 
convinced  that  by  poisoning  his  dog-food  the  Indian 
had  deliberately  planned  his  death,  and  as  he 
thought  of  the  means  employed,  a  hot  wrath  burned 
within  him,  It  was  so  cruel,  so  treacherous,  and  he 
vowed  to  himself  that  one  day  he  would  make  the 
Indian  pay  for  it. 

His  thoughts  wandered  further  to  Joy  Gargrave! 
She  would  be  in  England  or  well  on  her  way  there, 
and  wondering  how  his  quest  had  sped.  He  was 
now  in  a  position  to  fulfil  his  promise  to  her,  but 
he  doubted  whether  such  news  as  he  had  to  send 
her  would  be  any  comfort  to  her,  for  the  news 
that  Dick  Bracknell  was  alive,  and  making  for  the 
fastnesses  of  the  Northern  wilderness,  could  hardly 
be  good  news  for  her,  who  had  been  so  bitterly 
deceived. 

[133] 


,THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

It  was  the  next  day  when  Chief  Louis  unfolded 
the  mystery  of  Rolf  Gargrave's  death.  Seating 
himself  by  the  corporal's  side,  he  puffed  slowly  at 
his  pipe  for  some  time,  and  the  officer  watched  him, 
wondering  what  was  in  his  mind  and  when  he  would 
speak. 

Suddenly  the  half-breed  leaned  forward  and  said 
abruptly — 

"Ze  bottom  nevaire  drop  out  of  ze  trail  under 
Rolf  Gargrave!" 

"No?"  The  corporal's  voice  was  eager  and  his 
manner  alert. 

"It  was  blown  out!" 

"Blown  out!  What  on  earth  do  you  mean, 
Louis?" 

"Listen  and  I  veel  the  tale  unfold.  Tree  winters 
back,  no  four !  dere  come  to  my  tepee  a  white  man 
who  was  not  used  to  ze  ways  of  ze  North.  With 
him  vas  another  mans  who  had  ze  coughing-sick- 
ness,  and  who  need  the  squaws  to  nurse  him.  He 
die  vaire  shortly — six  days  after  he  come,  an'  we 
give  him  tree-burial;  and  ze  next  day,  ze  other 
white  mans  he  come  to  me.  He  want  two  men  to 
go  on  trail  with  him  to  ze  North,  an'  he  pay  with 
blankets,  two  rifles  of  ze  best,  mooch  cartridges, 
and  many  sticks  of  tabac.  He  vaire  anxious,  and 
I  ask  him  what  for  he  go  North  before  ze  spring 
it  have  arrive.  And  he  say  he  go  to  find  a  mans. 
What  mans?  I  ask,  and  he  say  Rolf  Gargrave, 
whom  he  would  talk  with  on  business  of  importance. 
Den  I  understand,  I  tink,  Gargrave  he  is  a  man  of 
many  affairs,  an'  this  man  who  know  not  ze  ways 
of  ze  North  hav'  come  so  far  to  talk  of  gold  and 

[134] 


A  DASTARDLY  DEED 

ze  like,  and  I  agree,  and  send  two  men  of  ze  tribe 
with  him  to  find  Gargrave  of  North  Star. 

"Dey  be  good  men,  who  know  ze  ways  of  ze 
trail  as  none  other,  but  dey  are  gone  a  vaire  long 
time,  an'  ze  wild  geeze  hav'  gone  to  their  breeding 
grounds  in  ze  far  North,  an'  ze  river  it  is  free  from 
ice,  when  dey  return.  I  question  dem,  and  it  is 
a  strange  tale  dey  tell.  For  many  days  dey  travel 
with  ze  stranger  mans  whose  name  I  know  not, 
an'  dey  are  on  the  trail  of  Gargrave  all  ze  time. 
Dey  hear  word  of  him,  now  here,  now  dere,  and 
it  is  a  long  trail  dey  follow,  but  at  ze  last  dey 
come  up  with  him.  Dey  hav'  word  dat  he  is  but 
one  camp  ahead  of  dem,  an'  dey  push  the  dogs, 
an'  soon  dey  pass  Gargrave's  camp." 

"Pass  it?"  cried  the  corporal  in  astonishment. 

"Oui !  Dey  pass  a  camp  which  is  Gargrave's 
an'  with  ze  darkness  falling,  dey  push  on  five,  six 
mile,  an'  dere  pitch  camp,  an'  ze  stranger  mans 
say  he  wait  for  Gargrave  dere.  It  begins  to  snow, 
an'  dere  is  wind,  an'  dey  crouch  by  ze  fire,  an' 
sleep,  one  hour,  two  hours,  tree — I  know  not.  Den 
Paslik  an'  Sibou  dey  wake  suddenly,  an'  dere  is  the 
roll  of  thunder  in  their  ears.  Dey  listen  in  wonder 
and  again  dey  hear  it,  a  crash  like  dat  among  ze 
hills  when  the  sun  scorches  ze  grass  an'  ze  earth 
it  shake  an'  tremble. 

"Dey  look  about.  Ze  white-man's  sleeping  bag 
it  is  empty,  and  he  is  not  dere.  Dey  wait  a  long 
time.  Ze  thunder  sound  no  more,  but  ze  snow 
still  fall,  an'  presently,  ze  stranger  mans  he  return. 
He  hav'  on  ze  snowshoes  an'  he  hav'  been  on  a 
journey.  He  tell  Paslik  an'  Sibou  dat  he  not  sleep, 

[135] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

dat  he  hav'  been  for  little  walk  to  help  him.  But 
he  is  vaire  tired,  an'  dere  is  a  strange  look  on  his 
face,  and  Paslik  he  whisper  to  Sibou  dat  the 
stranger  man  hav'  been  a  long  journey.  .  .  .  Den 
ze  snow  still  falling,  dey  all  sleep  till  dawn.  .  .  . 

"All  next  day,  in  ze  camp  dere,  dey  wait  for 
ze  coming  of  Gargrave,  but  he  come  not,  and  Paslik 
he  see  dat  after  a  time  ze  mans  look  not  towards 
ze  river-trail,  an'  dat  dare  is  a  pleased  look  on  his 
face,  a  look  as  of  one  who  has  his  desire  given 
unto  him.  Ze  next  morning,  they  strike  camp, 
an'  ze  stranger  mans  he  say  dey  go  back  and  look 
for  Gargrave.  To  Paslik  an'  Sibou,  ze  way  of  the 
white  man  is  foolishness,  but  dey  go  back,  an'  tree 
miles  down  ze  trail  dey  find  the  ice  hav'  been  broken 
in.  It  hav'  frozen  over  again,  but  ze  snow  about 
have  melt  an'  frozen  in  with  ze  ice,  an'  it  is  rotten. 
Also  dere  are  great  chunks  of  ice  thrown  far  out 
over  ze  snow,  which  is  a  strange  thing.  .  .  .  Dey 
cross  the  broken  trail  with  care,  an'  at  the  far  side, 
dey  come  on  ze  tracks  of  two  sleds  that  hav'  moved 
in  ze  direction  of  ze  rotten  ice. 

"Ze  stranger  mans  he  look  at  dese  an'  den  he 
looks  back  at  ze  broken  trail,  an'  den  he  whistle 
cheerfully  all  to  himself.  Paslik  he  look,  an'  he 
read  ze  signs,  an'  he  whisper  dat  ze  sleds  hav'  gone 
in,  ze  sleds  an'  ze  mans,  an'  den  dey  go  forward 
till  dey  reach  ze  camp  of  Gargrave  dat  dey  pass 
on  ze  way.  He  is  not  dere,  ze  camp  is  remove, 
an'  ze  ashes  of  ze  fire  are  cold.  Ze  white  mans 
he  look,  an'  he  laugh,  but  it  was  ze  laugh  of  a 
man  who  is  not  disappointed,  you  understand. 

[136] 


A  DASTARDLY  DEED 

:  'We  hav'  missed  him,'  he  say.     'We  return  to 
Dawson.' 

"So  Paslik  an'  Sibou,  dey  go  to  Dawson  with 
him,  an'  dere  dey  hear  that  Gargrave  is  lost,  be- 
cause of  ze  bottom  dropping  from  ze  trail  an'  cast- 
ing him  in  ze  river.  One  mans  he  have  crawled 
out,  he  tell  ze  tale  an'  die.  An'  Paslik  an'  Sibou 
say  nothing,  an'  ze  stranger  mans  he  give  them  his 
dogs  an'  sled  an'  stores  and  leave  Dawson,  and 
presently  when  ze  river  is  open  dey  come  back,  and 
whisper  to  me  the  tale  of  their  wanderings,  and 
I  say  ze  trail  it  not  fall  in,  but  it  is  blown  out." 

The  half-breed  broke  off,  and  lighting  his  pipe, 
puffed  at  it  stolidly,  staring  into  the  fire.  For  a 
full  half-minute  the  corporal  did  not  speak.  The 
implications  of  the  other's  story  were  very  clear 
to  him,  but  they  seemed  incredible. 

"But  what  makes  you  so  sure?"  he  asked  at  last. 

Chief  Louis  rose  from  his  seat  and  without  speak- 
ing passed  from  the  tepee.  After  a  few  minutes 
he  returned  bringing  with  him  a  wooden  box  with  a 
hinged  lid.  He  opened*  it,  and  held  it  towards  the 
corporal,  who  looked  in  curiously.  Inside  half- 
wrapped  in  cotton  wool  were  four  cakes  of  some 
reddish  brown  material,  and  when  the  corporal's 
eyes  fell  on  them,  he  gave  vent  to  a  sudden  exclama- 
tion. 

"Ah!" 

"You  know  what  dat  is?  You  hav'  before  it 
seen?" 

"Yes!"  answered  Bracknell  quickly.  "It  is  dyna- 
mite. How  did  you  come  by  it?" 

[137] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Ze  stranger  mans  he  leaves  it  in  ze  stores  dat 
he  give  Paslik  an'  Sibou.  He  forget  it,  or  he  tink 
dey  get  meddling  with  it  an'  blow  themselves  to 
Hell.  But  dey  bring  it  back,  and  I  know  it,  and 
I  keep  it;  and  remembering  ze  winter  thunder  which 
Palisk  an'  Sibou  dey  hear  in  their  sleep,  I  say  ze 
trail  it  was  blown  up,  an'  not  fall  in,  behold,  Paslik 
an'  Sibou  wi'  ze  stranger  mans  go  all  ze  way  to 
Dawson,  an'  ze  trail  it  is  good." 

"Upon  my  word,  Louis,  I  believe  you  are  right." 

"Dere  is  no  question.  It  is  so  sure  as  ze  rising 
of  ze  sun!" 

A  dark  thought  shot  in  the  corporal's  mind. 
Four  winters  ago  this  had  happened,  and  in  that 
year  Dick  Bracknell,  who  had  trapped  Joy  Gar- 
grave  into  marriage,  had  fled  from  England.  Rolf 
Gargrave's  death  might  be  conceived  to  serve  the  in- 
terests of  his  son-in-law,  and  Rolf  Gargrave  had 
been  murdered. 

"Louis,"  he  asked  abruptly,  "what  sort  of  a  man 
was  he  whom  Paslik  and  Sibou  served?" 

"He  was  tall,  with  full  beard  and  dark  eyes. 
His  voice  was  of  ze  English  an'  not  of  ze  American, 
for  he  talked  not  through  the  nose." 

The  description  was  not  very  illuminating,  and 
the  policeman  almost  goaned. 

"His  hair?  did  you  mark  the  colour?" 

"It  was  like  ze  bear — what  you  call  brown,  ze 
brown  of  ze  wood-nuts  in  autumn!" 

Brown!  Dick  Bracknell's  was  brown,  but  then 
so  was  the  hair  of  half  the  Anglo-Saxon  race ! 

As  his  mind  clutched  at  this  fact  seeking  escape 

[138] 


A  DASTARDLY  DEED 

from  the  awful  thought  which  was  taking  possession 
of  it,  he  frowned. 

"You  know  ze  mans?"  asked  the  half-breed. 

"No!"  he  cried  violently.     "No!" 

"All  ze  same,"  said  Chief  Louis  stolidly,  "that 
mans  he  blow  up  ze  trail." 

And  from  that  conclusion,  at  any  rate,  Roger 
Bracknell  could  find  no  escape. 


[139] 


CHAPTER  XIII 
TWO  PROPOSALS 

THREE  days  after  her  visit  to  the  theatre 
with  Sir  Joseph  Rayner,  Joy  Gargrave 
went  north  to  Westmorland,  accompanied 
by  Miss  La  Farge.  She  was  staying  with  old 
friends  a  few  miles  from  the  home  of  Sir  James 
Bracknell  at  Harrow  Fell,  and  her  hostess,  remem- 
bering Dick  Bracknell's  devotion  to  her,  gossiped 
freely. 

"You  remember  Sir  James'  eldest  son,  the  one 
whom  we  used  to  say  ran  on  your  heels,  Joy?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Joy,  in  a  voice  that  was  not  very 
encouraging. 

"He  went  to  the  dogs — all  the  way.  There  was 
a  bad  scandal,  and  though  it  was  hushed  up  for  Sir 
James'  sake,  Dick  Bracknell  had  to  run  the  country. 
No  one  knows  where  he  is  now  or  whether  he  is 
alive  or  dead,  but  it  is  thought  the  latter;  anyway, 
we  are  all  beginning  to  look  on  Geoffrey  as  the  heir 
of  Harrow  Fell.  He  is  coming  over  here  at  the 
week-end  for  the  final  grouse-shoot  of  the  season, 
and  Adrian  Rayner  is  coming  also.  Your  uncle 
fished  for  an  invitation  for  him,  and  my  husband 
could  not  very  well  refuse,  you  know.  I  fancy," 
she  added  with  a  knowing  little  laugh,  "it  isn't 
merely  grouse  he  is  after." 

Joy  gave  no  sign  of  understanding,  but  when  the 
week-end  arrived,  bringing  with  it  Adrian  Rayner, 

[140] 


TWO  PROPOSALS 

she  was  left  in  no  uncertainty  as  to  her  cousin's  in- 
tentions. He  haunted  her  steps.  He  was  always 
at  hand  with  assistance  which  she  did  not  want;  and 
when  Geoffrey  Bracknell  also  arrived,  there  was 
something  like  open  rivalry  between  them.  Her 
friend  and  hostess  laughed. 

"You  will  have  a  brace  of  proposals  before  the 
shoot  is  over,  Joy." 

"Not  if  I  can  help  it,"  answered  Joy  quickly. 

"You  will  not  be  able  to  help  it,"  was  the  reply. 
"They  are  both  determined  young  men  and  their 
minds  are  made  up." 

"So  is  mine,"  replied  Joy. 

;Yet  it  was  as  her  hostess  said.  On  the  day  of  the 
shoot,  Geoffrey  Bracknell  walked  with  her  across 
the  moor  towards  the  "butts"  built  of  turf  and  be- 
hind which  they  were  to  wait  for  the  driven  birds. 
They  reached  her  own  shelter  first,  and  as  she 
dropped  to  an  improvised  seat,  Geoffrey  Bracknell 
halted  and  looked  down  at  her. 

"Miss  Gargrave,  there  is — er — something  that 
I  want  to  say,  and  to — a — ask  you." 

She  looked  up  and  met  his  honest  eyes,  eyes  that 
to  her  mind  recalled  not  his  brother,  her  husband, 
but  the  eyes  of  his  cousin  Corporal  Bracknell  of  the 
Mounted  Police.  What  she  read  there  brought 
a  quick  flush  to  her  face,  and  she  hastily  put  up  a 
protesting  hand. 

"Please,  Mr.  Bracknell,  don't!  Don't  spoil  our 
friendship!" 

"Ah!"  said  the  young  man,  his  face  paling  a 
little,  "you  understand  what  I  want.  Is  it  really 
quite  impossible?" 


[THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Yes,"  she  answered  with  directness,  "it  is  quite 
impossible." 

Geoffrey  Bracknell  whistled  softly  to  himself. 
He  had  suffered  a  blow,  but  he  strove  to  behave 
like  a  gentleman.  "Then  I  am  sorry  to  have 
troubled  you,  Miss  Gargrave.  Of  course  I  knew 
that  I  was  not — er — worthy — " 

"Oh,  it  is  not  that,"  she  intervened  in  a  distressed 
voice.  "It  is — something  else,  it  has  nothing  to  do 
with  you  at  all !" 

"But  it  knocks  me  out!"  he  said  trying  to  smile. 
"Well,  it  is  the  fortune  of  war.  I  suppose  that  I 
shall  have  to  persuade  the  governor  to  let  me  go 
on  a  big  game  trip,  now.  That  is,  the  proper  thing 
to  do  under  the  circumstances,  isn't  it?" 

Again  she  met  his  eyes,  he  was  still  smiling,  but 
she  could  see  the  effort  it  required.  She  held  out 
a  hand  impulsively. 

"Geoffrey,"  she  said,  "don't  let  this  spoil  your 
life,  or  our  friendship.  I  cannot  now  explain  what 
makes  my  refusal  imperative.  Some  day  I  may  be 
able  to,  and  when  I  can  I  shall  tell'  you,  if  you  are 
still  my  friend." 

"Then  you'll  have  to  tell  me,"  he  said  frankly, 
"for  I  shall  always  be  that.  Couldn't  be  anything 
else,  you  know.  .  .  .  But  there's  the  head-keeper 
signalling;  I  must  move  on  to  my  own  butt.  Good 
hunting!" 

He  laughed  with  forced  lightness  and  walked 
away.  Joy  watched  him  go  with  pain  at  her  heart. 
How  like  his  cousin  he  was,  and  how  unlike  his 
brother  I  She  felt  very  sorry  for  the  boy,  and  the 

[142] 


TWO  PROPOSALS 

incident  had  disturbed  her  so  much  that  she  shot 
very  badly.  Again  and  again  as  the  birds  came 
driving  towards  her  she  either  didn't  fire  or  fired 
too  late,  but  from  the  butt  where  Geoffrey  Brack- 
nell  waited,  the  shots  came  at  regular  intervals,  and 
she  saw  the  birds  drop  every  time.  Then  a  covey 
of  grouse  came  driving  with  the  wind  straight 
towards  her  neighbour's  shelter.  She  waited. 
There  was  a  sharp  report,  and  a  sudden  cry,  and 
the  birds  drove  on.  She  looked  towards  the  shelter. 
It  was  almost  in  a  line  with  her  own,  and  she  could 
see  something  lying  on  the  ground  behind  it. 
Another  flock  of  birds  drove  down  the  wind,  but 
there  was  no  shot  from  Geoffrey  Bracknell's  gun. 
A  sudden  fear  assailed  her.  Leaving  her  own  gun 
resting  against  the  turf  wall,  she  ran  towards  the 
next  butt.  Before  she  reached  it,  she  knew  that 
something  dreadful  had  happened,  for  she  could 
see  that  the  young  man  was  lying  on  his  back  in  the 
heather.  She  reached  the  shelter  and  a  cry  broke 
from  her. 

White  faced  and  still,  with  a  ghastly  wound  in 
his  right  temple,  Geoffrey  Bracknell  lay  there,  quite 
'dead.  As  she  looked  at  him,  she  had  no  doubt 
whatever  about  the  matter,  and  a  great  agony 
surged  up  in  her  heart. 

Had  he — ?  Her  eyes  fell  on  the  gun  close 
by,  and  before  the  thought  which  had  assailed  her 
was  completed  she  knew  that  it  was  groundless. 
The  lock  of  the  gun  was  blown  out,  and  the  base 
of  both  barrels  was  fractured.  It  had  been  an 
accident. 

Ens] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Thank  God,"  she  whispered  to  herself,  delivered 
from  the  fear  which  had  assailed  her,  "it  was  not 

i» 

She  dropped  on  her  knees  by  his  side  and  took 
his  hand.  It  was  already  cold,  as  she  raised  it  to 
her  lips. 

"Poor  boy!     Poor  boy!" 

She  was  in  tears  as  she  rose  from  her  knees, 
and  began  to  walk  towards  the  next  butt.  The 
news  spread  quickly  and  the  shoot  was  stopped, 
and  the  body  was  tak«n  first  to  the  village,  and 
later  in  the  day  to  Harrow  Fell.  And  that  night 
Joy's  hostess,  discussing  the  tragedy,  set  a  problem 
before  her,  which  kept  her  awake  far  into  the  night. 

"Poor  Sir  James,"  she  said.  "He  is  left  without 
a  child,  for  as  I  told  you  no  one  knows  anything 
at  all  about  Dick  Bracknell,  and  it  doesn't  matter 
very  much  whether  he  is  alive  or  dead,  to  any  one 
but  his  cousin  Roger,  for  he  can  never  return  to 
England." 

"To  his  cousin  Roger,"  echoed  Joy,  visioning 
the  corporal,  "why  should  it  matter  to  him?" 

"Because  if  Dick  is  out  of  the  way,  Harrow  Fell 
will  pass  to  him  on  Sir  James'  death.  The  estates 
are  entailed,  you  know." 

Instantly  Joy  saw  the  difficulties  of  the  situation. 
Dick  Bracknell  might  be  dead,  or  he  might  be 
very  much  alive.  In  the  former  case,  the  way  was 
quite  clear  for  his  cousin;  but  in  the  latter,  there 
were  possibilities  that  filled  her  with  dread.  The 
corporal  had  left  North  Star  in  an  endeavour  to 
solve  the  mystery  of  the  disappearance  of  his 
cousin's  body.  If  Dick  Bracknell  were  yet  alive 

[144] 


TWO  PROPOSALS 

and  he  overtook  him,  he  would  probably  try  to  effect 
his  arrest,  and  if  Dick  resisted  there  might  be  trou- 
ble, and  possibly  Corporal  Bracknell  might  be 
driven  to  have  recourse  to  arms.  Suppose  he  shot 
his  cousin,  and  so,  in  innocence,  cleared  his  own  way 
to  the  succession  of  Harrow  Fell?  Her  face 
clouded,  and  an  anxious  look  came  into  her  eyes. 
She  was  recalled  to  herself  by  her  hostess's  voice. 

"A  penny  for  your  thoughts,  Joy." 

Joy  prevaricated  a  little.  "I  was  thinking  what 
a  strange  coil  life  is!"  she  answered. 

"In  what  way?" 

"Well,  the  last  person  I  spoke  to,  before  I  left 
North  Star  to  come  to  England,  was  Roger  Brack- 
nell!" 

"Roger  Bracknell!"  echoed  her  hostess  in  sur- 
prise. 

"Yes,  he  is  in  the  Mounted  Police,  and,  in  the 
way  of  duty,  he  came  to  North  Star,  three  days  or 
so  before  I  left." 

"That  is  an  odd  coincidence,"  was  the  comment. 
"What  did  you  think  of  him,  my  dear?" 

Joy  answered  with  reserve.  "He  seemed  to  be 
very  nice — a  gentleman,  you  know*." 

Her  hostess  smiled.  "Yes,  Roger  is  that— the 
right  sort,  as  my  husband  would  say.  He,  at  any 
rate,  will  never  disgrace  the  Bracknell  clan,  for  he 
is  at  the  opposite  pole  from  his  cousin  Dick. 
What  did  he  look  like?" 

"Like  a  mounter!"  answered  Joy  quickly. 

"A  mounter!  Don't  talk  slang,  Joy.  Inter- 
pret, please." 

"Well,"  answered  Joy  smilingly,  "a  mounter  is 

[145] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

a  member  of  the  Royal  North  West  Mounted 
Police,  who  are  as  fine  a  body  of  men  as  you  may 
find  from  one  end  of  the  Empire  to  the  other." 

"And  therefore  Roger  Bracknell  is  a  fine  man, 
hey?" 

"He  struck  me  as  being  so !"  answered  Joy  com- 
posedly. Her  friend  glanced  at  her  with  shrewd 
eyes.  "Hum!"  she  said.  "You  are  very  discreet, 
my  dear  Joy.  Now  you  know  that  the  truth  is 
that  Roger  Bracknell  is  a  man  who  takes  the  eye,  a 
handsome  man  in  fact,  and  why  you  should  be 
reluctant  to  own  up — " 

"Own  up!  What  do  you  mean?"  interrupted 
Joy,  her  face  growing  suddenly  scarlet. 

"Nothing,"  laughed  her  friend,  "except  that 
Roger  Bracknell  is  a  man  to  whom  few  women 
could  be  as  indifferent  as  you  pretend  to  be.  But 
I  must  cut  this  conversation  short.  There's 
Adrian  Rayner  looking  for  you,  and  coming  this 
way.  I'll  send  him  on  to  you." 

"Please  don't,"  cried  Joy;  but  her  hostess  only 
laughed,  and  as  she  walked  towards  the  young  man 
Joy  fled  to  her  room. 

Late  into  the  night  she  considered  the  possibili- 
ties which  had  presented  themselves  to  her  mind  at 
the  mention  of  Roger  Bracknell's  possible  succes- 
sion to  Harrow  Fell,  and  in  the  morning  she  rode 
to  the  post  office  in  the  neighbouring  country  town, 
and  there  dispatched  two>  cablegrams,  one  to 
Roger  Bracknell,  care  of  the  Police  Commissioner 
at  Regina,  explaining  to  him  the  circumstances,  and 
one  to  the  Commissioner  himself  asking  for  the 
whereabouts  of  Corporal  Bracknell,  prepaying  a 


TWO  PROPOSALS 

reply.     Three  days  later  the  reply  reached  her  in 
London. 

"Corporal  Bracknell  reported  as  missing.  Sup- 
posed lost." 

When  she  received  it,  she  was  greatly  dis- 
tressed, and  rather  hurriedly  made  up  her  mind  to 
return  at  once  to  North  Star.  Why  she  should  do 
so,  she  did  not  make  clear  even  to  herself;  and  when 
Adrian  Rayner  pressed  her  for  her  reason,  she  was 
covered  with  confusion. 

"Joy,"  he  protested,  "you  must  not  do  anything 
so  foolish.  You  have  fulfilled  the  terms  of  your 
father's  will  to  the  letter,  and  now  your  place  is 
here  in  England.  We  all  want  you  here !  I  want 
you  more  than  any  one  else  on  earth.  Do  you 
understand?" 

She  gave  him  no  reply  to  the  question,  but  he 
explained  further,  leaving  her  no  room  for  doubt. 
"I  love  you,  Joy.  I  loved  you  when  you  were  here 
in  England  three  years  ago.  I  loved  you  at  North 
Star.  I  love  you  more  madly  than  ever,  now. 
Will  you  marry  me?" 

"I  can't,"  she  said.     "Don't  press  me,  Adrian." 
"But  why  can't  you?"  he  asked  ruthlessly.     "At 
least  you  owe  me  a  reason  for  refusal.     I  wonder 
if  that  reason  has  anything  to  do  with  this  foolish- 
ness of  returning  to  North  Star." 

She  was  a  little  startled  by  the  acuteness  of  his 
conjecture,  and  did  not  immediately  reply.  He 
smiled  a  trifle  grimly,  and  then  continued.  "If  it 
has,  you  can  dismiss  that  reason  from  your  mind 
for  good.  Dick  Bracknell  is  dead." 
"Dick  Bracknell!  What—" 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Her  voice  faltered  as  she  met  his  gaze.  "Yes," 
he  answered.  "Dick  Bracknell,  alias  Koona  Dick. 
He  was  your  husband,  wasn't  he?  You  married 
him  down  at  Alcombe,  didn't  you?" 

"How  do  you  know?"  she  asked  quiveringly. 
"That  is  a  private  matter,"  he  replied.     "Just 
as  your  marriage  was  private;  and  just  as  the  man- 
ner of  your  husband's  death  must  be  kept  private 
for  the  good  of  us  all." 

"What  .  .  .  what  do  you  mean,  Adrian?"  she 
asked  in  a  trembling  voice,  her  face  ghastly  with 
sudden  terror. 

"I  mean  that  I  know  who  shot  Koona  Dick,"  he 
answered  slowly. 

"Oh!"  she  gasped,  her  hand  over  her  heart  in 
a  wild  endeavour  to  stay  its  fierce  beating.  "Oh! 
what — what — " 

"There  is  no  need  for  you  to  be  other  than  frank 
with  me.  I  saw  the  whole  thing.  I  saw  you  get 
that  message.  I  followed  you  into  the  woods. 
You  took  a  gun  with  you,  and  you  hid  in  the  trees 
where  you  could  see  your  husband  arrive.  I  saw 
the  flame  of  your  shot,  and  that  same  second  Dick 
Bracknell  fell  in  the  snow.  Mark  you,  I  do  not 
blame  you.  Dick  Bracknell  was  worthless  and 

»» 

"But  oh!"  sobbed  Joy  with  horror  in  her  face. 
"You  are  mistaken.  It  is  not  true.  I  never — " 

"Why  try  to  bluff  me,  Joy?  I  say  I  saw  you 
and  if  you  were  not  the  person  who  killed  Dick 
Bracknell,  why  did  you  make  no  mention  of  what 
had  occurred  when  you  returned  to  the  Lodge? 
That  is  not  the  way  of  innocence." 

[148] 


TWO  PROPOSALS 

Joy  'did  not  reply.  Her  face  was  buried  in  her 
hands  and  she  was  sobbing  convulsively.  Rayner 
looked  at  her  with  shrewd  eyes,  then  after  a  mo- 
ment resumed  in  an  altered  tone — 

"As  I  have  said,  Joy,  my  dear,  I  do  not  blame 
you;  I  even  went  out  of  my  way  to  help  you  that 
night." 

"You  .  .  .  you  went — " 

"Exactly,  I  saw  that  policeman  find  Dick's  body, 
and  afterwards  leave  it,  and  go  towards  the 
Lodge.  I  knew  that  things  might  be  awkward  if  the 
truth  came  out,  so  I  disposed  of  the  body." 

"You  disposed  of  the  body?"  She  lifted  her 
head  suddenly,  and  through  her  tears  looked  at 
him  incredulously. 

"Yes,"  he  answered  airily.  "It  is  difficult  to 
prove  a  crime  if  there  is  no  evidence  of  it,  so  I 
removed  the  material  evidence,  to  the  utter  con- 
fusion of  any  theory  that  Corporal  Bracknell  might 
have  formed." 

"But  how?     What—" 

"I  carried  it  away,  and  dropped  it  through  an 
ice-hole  in  the  river.  It  will  never  be  found  until 
the  ice  breaks  up  in  the  spring,  and  then  it  is  not 
at  all  likely.  I  took  a  little  risk,  I  know;  but  I 
did  it  for  your  sake,  believe  me,  Joy,  quite  as  much 
as  for  my  own." 

"I  do  not  understand  how  it  affected  you," 
faltered  the  girl. 

"Perhaps      not,"     answered     Rayner     suavely. 
"But  you  have  heard  the  reason.     I  loved  you. 
wanted  to  marry  you,  even  at  that  time  I  wanted 

[H9] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

you;   for  I  recognized  that  you  were   distraught 
when  you — " 

"Oh    please!     Please!     Do    not    say    it!"    she 

cried. 

"Very  well,"  he  answered.  "I  will  not.  But 
you  understand  the  position,  and  I  think  you  will 
agree  that  knowing  what  I  know  there  are  not  a 
great  number  of  men  who  would  wish  to  marry 
you." 

"And    why    should   you?"    she    asked    quickly. 

"Again  because  I  love  you." 

She  sat  there  in  silence,  staring  absently  at  a  vase 
of  chrysanthemums  on  the  table,  and  seeing  them 
not  at  all.  In  her  mind  she  was  again  living 
through  the  horror  of  that  night  at  North  Star, 
searching  for  something  that  would  give  the  lie  to 
Adrian  Rayner's  statement.  And  suddenly  she  re- 
membered something.  That  sled  which  had 
halted  in  the  wood.  Who  had  been  with  it?  Her 
gaze  moved  quickly  from  the  vase  to  her  cousin's 
face,  and  on  it  she  surprised  a  cynical,  calculating 
look  that  stirred  deep  distrust  in  her. 

"You  say  you  dropped  Dick  Bracknell's  body 
through  the  ice?  It  was  rather  a  long  way  to  the 
river.  How  did  you  get  it  there?" 

For  one  second  Rayner  hesitated.  He  was  not 
sure  of  the  bearing  of  the  question,  but  after  the 
bri'ef  hesitation  he  answered,  "l!  carried  it,  of 
course." 

Joy  had  marked  the  hesitation,  and  to  her  came 
the  swift  realization  that  he  was  lying.  She 
marked  his  slim  form,  and  remembered  Dick  Brack- 
nell's height  and  bulk,  and  the  sudden  conviction 


TWO  PROPOSALS 

deepened.  But  she  gave  no  hint  of  it  to  Rayner, 
who  stood  watching  her,  sure  that  he  could  bend  her 
to  his  will.  She  offered  no  comment  on  his  reply, 
but  thoughtfully  twisted  a  ring  upon  her  finger, 
while  her  mind  sought  for  a  way  out  of  her  imme- 
diate difficulty. 

"Well,  Joy,"  he   asked,  "you  will  marry  me?" 

She  rose  abruptly  from  her  chair.  "No,"  she 
said  on  a  sudden  impulse.  "Not  on  the  evidence  of 
Dick's  death  that  you  offer.  I  cannot  consider — " 

"You  are  not  wise!"  he  interrupted.  "You  are 
in  my  hands,  remember." 

"Oh,  but  you  mistake  me,"  she  cried.  "I  am 
not  saying  that  I  will  never  marry  you.  I  am 
dnly  saying  that  the  evidence  of  Dick's  death  is 
not  sufficiently  convincing."  She  lifted  a  hand  as 
he  would  have  interrupted  her.  "No!  Let  me 
finish.  When  we  left  Corporal  Bracknell  at  North 
Star,  he  knew  that  I  was  Dick's  wife,  and  he  under- 
took to  find  out  what  had  become  of  Dick's  body. 
There  was  some  one  else  in  the  woods  at  North 
Star  that  night,  some  one  who  probably  witnessed 
all  that  occurred.  That  person,  I  fancy,  Roger 
iBracknell  means  to  find.  And  when  I  have  heard 
that  man's  story — " 

"You  shall  certainly  hear  it,  for  I  will  find  that 
man  myself.  I  will  drag  him  across  the  world  to 
tell  it  to  you." 

He  spoke  vehemently,  passionately,  but  in  his 
bearing  there  was  something  besides  vehemence  and 
passion.  His  face  had  gone  white,  and  in  his  eyes 
was  a  furtive  look.  Joy  noticed  these  signs,  but 
gave  no  indication  of  having  done  so. 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"You!"  she  cried,  "you  will  go?  What  will  you 
be  able  to  do?" 

"Yes,"  he  answered  sharply.  "I  will  go.  I  will 
do  what  your  bungling  corporal  has  not  been  able 
to  do.  I  will  bring  you  proof  of  Dick  Bracknell's 
death.  I  will  find  that  man  who  was  in  the  wood, 
if  there  was  a  man — " 

"There  is  no  question  of  that,"  she  broke  in.  "I 
found  his  trail,  and  Corporal  Bracknell  found  it 
too.  I  believe  he  followed  it — " 

"Ah!" 

The  expression  on  Rayner's  face,  as  the  inter- 
jection broke  from  him,  was  one  of  mingled  chagrin 
and  fear.  Joy  noticed  it,  and  it  set  her  wondering 
again.  Then  quite  suddenly  she  remembered  some- 
thing. Roger  Bracknell  had  asked  her  if  Adrian 
Rayner  knew  of  her  marriage  with  her  cousin. 
She  had  answered  that  he  did  not,  but  he  had  known 
all  the  time!  The  significance  of  the  question  had 
not  made  itself  felt  at  the  time,  but  now  it  broke 
on  her  with  startling  force,  and  Rayner  saw  that 
something  had  happened  to  which  he  had  no  clue. 

"What  is  it?"  he  asked  sharply. 

"Nothing!"  she  answered  evasively.  "But  in 
view  of  all  the  circumstances  I  think  I  shall  return 
to  North  Star  myself  before  long." 

He  was  about  to  reply  when  there  came  an  inter- 
ruption. Miss  La  Farge  entered  the  room. 

"The  car  is  waiting,  Joy,  and  we  are  behind  time. 
We  really  must  be  going  if  Mr.Rayner  can  excuse 
you." 

"Right,  Babette.  Cousin  Adrian  was  just  about 
to  go,  as  we  have  finished  our  discussion,  I  believe." 


TWO  PROPOSALS 

Rayner  nodded.  "Yes,"  he  'said.  "We  have 
finished,  and  I  am  going.  But  I  shall  see  you  again? 
Joy,  very  shortly,  certainly  before  I  go  to  the 
North." 

Joy  nodded  and  making  his  adieu  Adrian  Rayner 
passed  out  of  the  room. 


[153] 


CHAPTER  XIV 

MISSING 

MR.   RAYNER   is  going  to   the  North?" 
questioned  Miss  La  Farge. 
"Yes,  he  is  going  to  Canada — and  so  am 
I,  as  early  as  possible.     You  will  not  mind  accom- 
panying me,  Babette." 

"Mind!  I  shall  be  more  than  glad  to  get  back 
to  the  silent  North.  This  noisy  London  gets  on 
my  nerves,  and  the  smell  of  the  streets  is  horrible. 
It  is  petrol  everywhere.  The  place  reeks  of  it, 
and  after  the  aromatic  spruce  woods  the  air  here 
is  like  poison.  I  shall  rejoice  to  go,  and  to  hear 
the  hell  of  the  moose  again  in  place  of  hideous 
motor  horns." 

She  looked  at  Joy,  as  she  spoke,  and  there  was 
a  question  in  her  eyes.  Joy  nodded. 

"Yes,  I  will  tell  you  why  we  go.  My  cousin 
Adrian  has  just  asked  me  to  marry  him — " 

"Indeed!  But  I  am  not  surprised.  The  signs 
of  the  weather  have  been  unmistakable  for  a  little 
time.  And  of  course  he  does  not  know  of  Dick 
Bracknell!" 

"But  he  does !  He  has  known  all  the  time.  He 
even  stooped  to  use  his  knowledge  so  as  to  bring 
pressure  upon  me." 

"How  shameful!" 

[154] 


MISSING 

"Yes !  But  that  is  of  small  moment.  Don't  you 
see  the  significance  of  the  fact  that  he  had  knowl- 
edge of  my  marriage?  He  was  aware  of  it  all  the 
time,  and  as  you  know  he  made  love  to  me.  Even 
at  North  Star " 

"Yes !  Yes !  But  you  do  not  think  that  he  fired 
the  shot  which " 

"I  do  not  know  what  to  think!  I  am  going  to 
find  out.  Of  one  thing  I  am  sure,  and  that  is  that 
cousin  Adrian  is  afraid  of  what  Corporal  Bracknell 
may  discover.  And  Corporal  Bracknell  has  disap- 
peared. He  may  have  learned  much  that  I  want  to 
know,  and  something  may  have  befallen  him.  He 
may  even  be  dead,  but  if  he*  is  alive  we  must  find  him 
before  Cousin  Adrian  does.  Do  you  understand?" 

"Yes,  I  think  I  do!  You  have  grown  afraid  of 
what  Mr.  Rayner  may  do.." 

"I  do  not  trust  him.  I  cannot  after — "  She 
broke  off.  "I  am  my  own  mistress  now.  There  is 
no  need  that  I  should  consult  any  one  as  to  my  com- 
ings and  goings.  We  will  go  down  to  the  steamship 
offices  at  once.  We  will  not  waste  even  a  mo- 
ment." 

An  hour  later  they  entered  the  office  of  a  famous 
shipping  company  in  Cockspur  Street,  and  there  in- 
quired for  a  boat  sailing  for  the  Dominion. 

"There  is  the  Argonaut.  She  sails  from  Liver- 
pool in  three  days.  I  believe  there  are  vacancies." 
The  clerk  turned  away  and  presently  came  back  with 
a  list  in  his  hand. 

"The  accommodation  is  limited,  I  find.  There 
are  only  a  couple  of  cabins-de-luxe " 

"We  will  take  them!"  said  Joy  promptly. 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Thank  you!     What  names,  Miss?" 

The  names  were  given,  and  within  ten  minutes  the 
transaction  was  completed,  and  Joy  left  the  office 
with  the  tickets  in  her  handbag.  Just  as  her  caf 
started  a  taxi  approached  from  the  opposite  direc- 
tion, almost  collided  with  it,  and  it  was  only  by  a 
decidedly  dangerous  swerve  that  an  accident  was 
averted.  The  taxi-driver  glanced  round  at  his  pass- 
enger as  if  expecting  a  rebuke,  but  to-  his  relief  the 
man  was  leaning  far  back  in  the  corner  as  if  anxious 
to  avoid  observation.  The  vehicle  drew,  up  at  the 
shipping  offices,  and  the  passenger  left  the  taxi  and 
entered  the  offices.  He  was  Adrian  Rayner. 

The  clerk  who  had  completed  Joy's  business 
attended  to  him  and  listened  to  his  request. 

"Sorry,  sir!  The  last  two  cabins  on  the  Argo* 
naut  have  just  beeii  feaken.  There  isn't  a  vacant 
berth  in  the  ship." 

Rayner  considered.  He  had  not  the  slightest 
doubt  that  Joy  Gargrave  and  her  foster-sister,  had 
taken  those  cabins,  for  he  had  seen  them  leaving  the 
offices.  A  dark  frown  came  on  his  face,  which  the 
clerk  misinterpreted  for  disappointment.  An  idea 
occurred  to  him. 

"You  are  in  a  hurry,  sir?"  he  inquired. 

"Yes,"  answered  Rayner  shortly. 

"Well,  sir,1  if  I  may  venture  to  suggest  it  to  you, 
the  Maple  Leaf  sails  at  six  o'clock  from  Southamp- 
ton. She  is  not  a  full  boat,  and  if  there  is  a  train 
you  might  yet  catch  her." 

"Look  at  the  time  table,  quick!"  was  the  reply. 
The  clerk  obeyed.  "There  is  a  train  in  three  quar- 


MISSING 

ters  of  an  hour,  sir.  It  5s  a  slow  train,  but  it  is 
due  in  Southampton  five  and  twenty  minutes  before 
sailing  time.  You  should  be  able  to  do  it  easily, 
sir." 

"Then  I'll  book  a  cabin,  please.  As  quick  as  you 
can.  I've  some  kiggage  to  pack." 

A  few  minutes  later  he  left  the  office,  and  raced  to 
his  chambers,  where  he  kept  the  taxi  waiting  whilst 
he  packed  a  small  portmanteau.  Then  he  rang  up 
Sir  Joseph  Rayner  at  the  office.  It  was  the  head 
clerk's  voice  that  replied. 

"No,  Mr.  Adrian,  Sir  Joseph  is  out.  He  will 
not  return  today.  Any  message,  sir?" 

"Yes.  Let  him  know  somehow  that  I'm  going 
to  America  this  evening.  Tell  him  I  will  write, 
and — er — Benson — remember  that  this  piece  of 
news  is  strictly  private." 

"Yes,  Mr.  Adrian." 

He  hung  up  the  receiver,  lit  a  cigar,  and  five  min- 
utes after  was  on  his  way  to  Waterloo. 

•  •••••• 

"What  are  you  going  to  do,  Joy,  when  we  land?" 
As  she  asked  the  question,  Miss  La  Farge  turned 
from  contemplating  the  greyness  of  the  winter  sea- 
scape and  looked  at  her  foster-sister. 

I  am  going  straight  through  to  Regina  to  find  out 
if  anything  has  been  heard  of  Roger  Bracknell.  If 
they  have  no  news  of  him  at  the  b'arracks,  then  we 
will  go  North  ^and  ourselves  try  and  learn  what  has 
befallen  him.  He  may  have  news  for  me,  as  I  cer- 
tainly have  news  for  him." 

[157] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Do  you  mean  that  we  shall  set  out  to  search  for 
him?" 

"Just  that,  Babette.  We  know  that  he  was 
going  up  the  river,  and  I  have  a  fancy  he  was  fol- 
lowing a  trail  which  I  myself  noticed.  You  and  I 
know  the  country  well,  and  with  the  Indian  George, 
we  could  look  for  him.  At  least  we  may  learn 
something  about  him." 

"Yes,"  replied  Babette  thoughtfully.  "And  if 
we  find  him,  as  you  say,  he  may  have  news..  You 
may  learn  what  really  happened  to  your  hus " 

"Please!  Please,  Babette.  Don't  call  Dick 
Bracknell  that.  I  can't  bear  to.  think  that  I  am 
bound  to  him  at  all." 

"No,  and  if  he  is  dead,  you  are  released!  What 
do  you  really  think,  Joy?" 

"I  am  in  doubt.  I  have  always  been  in  doubt 
since  that  night.  It  was  so  strange  that  he  should 

disappear.     Sometimes-     I.    hope     that "     She 

stopped,  and  after-  a  pause  continued,  "It  seems  too 
dreadful  a  thing  to  say,  but  I  cannot  help  feeling  it. 
Dick  Bracknell  behaved  shamefully  to  me.  Apart 
from  all  that  has  happened  since,  I  can  never  for- 
give the  humiliation  of  my  marriage.  It  is  the 
simple  truth  that  I  should  be  glad  to  know  that  I 
was  free,  even  if  it  were  by  Dick's  death.  But  I 
cannot  feel  that  he  is  dead.  Something  tells  me 
that  he  is  alive.  That  we  shall  yet  meet — " 

"I  devoutly  hope  not,"  broke  in  Babette  fer- 
vently, "for  if  we  do  I  shall  be  tempted  to — to — " 

"To  what?"  asked  Joy  sharply. 

"To  shoot  him  myself,"  answered  the  other 
grimly. 


MISSING 

"Babette!" 

"Oh,  you  need  not  look  so  shocked,"  continued 
Babette.  "You  and  I  have  lived  in  the  North,  and 
we  know  that  justice  does  not  always  follow  the 
forms  of  law.  And  what  is  it  that  man  Kipling 
says,  'There's  never  a  Law  of  God  or  man  runs 
North  of  fifty-three.'  We're  North  of  fifty-three 
at  North  Star,  and  a  law  unto  ourselves.  If  Dick 
Bracknell  is  still  alive,  and  came  worrying  you,  I 
think  that  I  could — " 

"Babette,  you  must  not  say  it." 

"Very  well,  I  will  not.  But  all  the  Same  I  feel 
that  I  could,  for  the  man  is  worthless,  mere  vermin 
like  the  wolves  in  the  North.  And  that  woman 
Lady  Alcombe,  of  whom  you  told  me — " 

"She  is  dead!  I  learned  that  in  England.  She 
was  killed  in  a  motor  accident." 

"It  was  too  merciful  an  end  for  her!"  said 
Babette  quickly.  "She  ought  to  have  lived  to  feel 
remorse  gnawing  at  her  heart  day  by  day  and  hour 
by  hour — " 

"Lady  Alcombe  was  not  the  kind  of  woman  to 
suffer  that  way,"  said  Joy  slowly.  "She  had  no 
heart.  .  .  .  But  here  comes  the  rain.  We  shall 
have  to  go  below." 

Nine  days  later  Joy  Gargrave  walked  across  the 
snow  to  the  headquarters  of  the  Mounted  Police  at 
Regina,  and  asked  to  see  the  Commissioner.  He, 
as  it  appeared,  was  absent,  and  the  only  official 
immediately  available  was  an  inspector,  a  pleasant 
soldier-like  man  in  the  early  thirties.  To  him  she 
addressed  her  question. 

[159] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Can  you  tell  me  anything  as  to  the  whereabouts 
of  Corporal  Bracknell?" 

The  inspector  looked  up  -from  her  card,  and 
flashed  a  keen  glance  at  her,  then  shook  his  head. 

"I  am  sorry,  Miss  Gargrave.  We  should  be 
glad  of  news  of  Bracknell  ourselves.  He  went  on 
a  journey  several  weeks  ago,  and  a  patrol  that  has 
come  through  the  district  where  he  was  likely  to  be 
has  heard  nothing  of  him,  though  a  sled  was  found 
which  was  unquestionably  his.  There  were  the 
bones  of  dogs  also,  so  that  things  look  rather  black. 
The  timber-wolves  may  have  got  him.  Reports 
from  two  or  three  districts  state  they  have  been 
very  savage  this  winter." 

Joy's  face  went  white,  but  she  kept  herself  in 
hand. 

"Still  I  suppose  there  is  a  possibility  that  he  may 
have  escaped?" 

"A  bare  possibility,"  answered  the  inspector  in  a 
voice  that  betrayed  he  had  little  hope.  Then  he 
asked  suddenly,  "I  wonder  why  you  wish  to  find 
him,  Miss  Gargrave?" 

Joy  flushed  at  the  question  which  to  her  seemed 
to  border  on  impertinence. 

"It  is  a  private  matter,"  she  answered  shortly. 

"Please  do  not  be  offended,  Miss  Gargrave.  I 
had  a  reason  for  asking.  You  are  the  second  per- 
son to  make  inquiry  about  Corporal  Bracknell  this 
week." 

"Indeed?"  said  Joy,  growing  suddenly  alert. 

"Yes,  a  gentleman  came  here  with  the  same  ques- 
tion four  days  ago." 


MISSING 

"Did  you  see  him?  Would  you  mind  telling  me 
what  he  was  like?" 

The  inspector  laughed.  "There  is  no  reason 
why  I  should  not,  as  it  is  not  a  police  matter.  I  can 
do  better  than  give  you  his  description.  I  can  give 
you  his  name,  for  I  have  his  card  somewhere."  He 
fumbled  among  some  papers  on  the  desk,  and  in  a 
moment  found  what  he  sought.  "Here  it  is! 
Adrian  Rayner,  Albany  Chambers,  London." 

"Adrian  Rayner!" 

As  Joy  echoed  the  name,  the  inspector  glanced  at 
her  keenly.  "You  knew  him?" 

"Yes,"   she   replied  slowly.     "He  is  my  cousin 

>» 

"Indeed!"  said  the  officer  politely,  and  then 
added,  "Mr.  Rayner  was  anxious  to  learn  where 
Corporal  Bracknell  was,  but  on  learning  that  Brack- 
nell  was  missing,  he  did  not  seem  greatly  perturbed. 
I  gathered  that  Mr.  Rayner  was  a  lawyer  and  that 
it  was  on  legal  business  that  he  wished  to  see  Brack- 
nell." 

To  Joy  it  seemed  as  if  the  inspector  was  openly 
fishing  for  information,  and  for  one  brief  moment 
she  hesitated.  Should  she  take  him  into  her  confi- 
dence, and  tell  him  all?  She  was  strongly  tempted 
to  do  so,  but  in  the  end  decided  against  it. 

"Yes,"  she  said,  rising  from  her  chair,  "he  is  a 
lawyer,  and  as  Corporal  Bracknell's  cousin  has  been 
killed  in  England,  it  is  possible  that  legal  business 
had  brought  him  here.  I  am  greatly  obliged  to 
you,  Inspector  Graham."  She  paused,  and  then 
added,  "I  have  a  little  request  to  make.  If  you 

[161] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

receive  any  news  of  Corporal  Bracknell  will  you 
send  it  to  me  at  North  Star?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  inspector.  "But  I  am 
afraid  you  will  be  some  time  in  receiving  it."  He 
smiled.  "As  you  know,  it  is  something  more  than 
a  crow's  flight  from  here  to  your  home." 

"I  was  thinking  of  a  special  courier,"  said  Joy 
quickly.  "There  will  be  men  to  be  found,  and  the 
expense  is  nothing  to  me." 

"Very  well,"  answered  the  inspector,  "I  will  see 
that  you  get  whatever  news  reaches  us  at  the  ear- 
liest moment!  We  of  the  force  are  too  much  in- 
debted to  your  late  father  and  yourself  to  refuse 
a  trifling  request  of  that  kind.  There  is  nothing 
else  that  I  can  do  for  you,  Miss  Gargrave?" 

Again  Joy  hesitated.  Should  she  tell  him  what 
she  thought  was  the  real  object  of  Adrian  Rayner's 
journey?  Sitting  there  in  that  quiet  room,  she  sud- 
denly felt  that  her  suspicions  would  sound  ridiculous 
if  put  into  words.  After  all,  she  had  so  very  little 
to  go  upon. 

"Thank  you!     There  is  nothing." 

A  moment  later,  Inspector  Graham  stood  at  his 
window  watching  her  cross  the  snow.  He  smiled  a 
little  to  himself. 

"Urn!"  he  muttered,  "if  Bracknell  is  still  alive  he 
is  in  the  way  of  being  a  lucky  fellow'." 

Ten  minutes  later  Joy  found  Miss  La  Farge  in 
their  room  at  the  hotel. 

"Babette,"  she  said,  "we  shall  have  to.  hurry 
Adrian  Rayner  is  already  here.  He  is  four  days 
ahead  of  us.  We  must  leave  Regina  within  an 
hour." 

[162] 


MISSING 

"Yes,"  answered  her  foster-sister,  "as  Mr  Ray- 
ner  is  evidently  in  a  hurry,  we  must  hurry  also.  Is 
there  any  news  of  Corporal  Bracknell?" 

"None,  except  that  his  sled  has  been  found." 

"Ah!     That  is  bad,  very  bad!" 

"You  must  not  think  that,  Babette,"  cried  Joy  a 
little  wildly.  "We  must  search.  I  will  not  give 
up  hope.  I  will  find  him." 

Her  voice  quivered  and  broke,  and  suddenly  she 
buried  her  face  in  her  hands.  Miss  La  Farge 
looked  at  her  for  a  moment  with  eyes  brimming 
with  sympathy.  Then  she  took  a  step  forward  and 
placed  her  hand  on  her  foster-sister's  shoulder. 

"Joy,  my  dear,  what  is  the  corporal  to  you?" 

"To  me,"  Joy  looked  up  with  confusion  in  her 
bearing.  "How  can  he  be  anything  to  me?  How 
can  any  man " 

"Yet  if  we  do  not  find  him,  it  will  be  very  bit- 
ter?" 

"As  bitter  as  death!"  answered  Joy,  hiding  her 
face  once  more. 

"Then  we  must  certainly  find  him,"  answered 
Miss  La  Farge  gravely.  "And  by  way  of  a  start, 
I  will  talk  to  the  clerk  about  trains." 

She  turned  and  passed  from  the  room,  leaving 
her  foster-sister  in  tears.  After  a  little  time  Joy 
looked  up.  An  absent  gaze  came  in  her  tear- 
stained  eyes. 

"If  I  only  knew!"  she  whispered  to  herself,  "if  I 
only  knew!" 


CHAPTER  XV 
AN  ENCOUNTER  AT  THE  LODGE 

IT  was.  mid-day,  and  as  they  marched  between 
the  high  banks  on  a  hard  trail,  Joy  Gargrave's 
heart  grew  light. 

"Another  hour,  Babette,  and  we  shall  be  home." 

"Yes,"   was  the   reply,    "home!     That  is  what 

North  Star  is  to  us,  and  I  wonder  you  ever  left  it, 

Joy." 

"I  was  afraid,"  answered  Joy.  "Dick  Brack- 
nell's  letter  startled  me.  He  plainly  meant  to  as- 
sert himself  and  I  was  glad  of  Sir  Joseph's  summons 
to  England,  because  it  helped  me  to  get  away  from 
the  complications  here*." 

"It  does  not  matter  much  where  one  goes," 
answered  Babette  philosophically,  "one  carries 
one's  real  complications  with  her.  Here  or  there 
' — what  matters?  The  heart  is  ever  the  same." 

"Yes,  that  is  true,"  answered  Joy,  thinking  of  the 
complications  of  her  own  life.  "We  are  the  vic- 
tims of  our  emotions  quite  as  much  as  of  circum- 
stances." 

"Of  our  inexperience  more  than  our  emotions,  I 
should  say,"  answered  Babette — "of  our  inexperi- 
ence and  the  ruthlessness  of  those  who  are  prepared 
to  take  advantage  of  them.  But  here,  better  than 
in  most  places,  we  can  live  our  own  life,  untram- 
melled, and  for  the  most  part  free  from  the  worser 


AN  ENCOUNTER  AT  THE  LODGE 

cares.  This  lodge  of  ours  is  like  a  sanctuary  in  the 
wilderness,  and  the  serenity,  the  woods,  the  snow 
and  the  silences  have  their  own  healing  for  the 
troubles  of  life." 

uYes,  but  there  is  something  to  be  said  for  com- 
panionship with  one's  own  kind.  I  notice  we  are 
always  a  little  excited  when  we  have  callers  at  the 
Lodge.  We " 

A  rifle  shot  cracked  in  on  her  words,  and  before 
either  of  them  could  speak  again,  a  moose  broke 
suddenly  from  the  woods,  and  plunged  down  the 
steep  bank  not  five  hundred  yards  ahead  of  them. 
The  wolf-dogs  in  the  sleds  gave  tongue,  and  not- 
withstanding the  burden  behind  them,  leaped  for- 
ward. Joy  laughed  gaily. 

"There's  an  end  of  philosophic  reflection.  The 
moose  is  hit.  I  wonder  who " 

A  man  emerged  from  the  woods,  dropped  on  one 
knee,  and  sighted  the  wide-horned  beast.  Then  his 
shot  rang,  and  the  moose  toppled  over  in  th.e  snow. 
The  hunter  stood  up  and  caught  sight  of  the  on- 
coming party.  He  scrutinized  it  carefully  for  a 
moment  and  then  waved  his  hand. 

"It  is  George,"  cried  Babette,  naming  an  Indian 
servant.  "See,  he  recognizes  us." 

The  hunter  descended  the  bank,  and  instead  of 
going  to  inspect  his  kill  waited  for  them  to  come  up. 
As  they  did  so  a  smile  crumpled  his  grave  copper- 
coloured  face. 

"How!"  he  said.  "Very  glad  to  see  you,  Miss 
Joy  and  Miss  Babette.  My  words  are  no-t  as  my 
heart,  for  my  tongue  is  not  easy  of  speech.  But 
glad  am  I  to  behold  you,  glad  as  if  your  coming 


iTHE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

were  the  breath  of  the  south  spring  wind  upon  the 
cheek." 

Joy  laughed  with  pleasure.  "Not  more  glad 
than  are  we,  George.  And  you  must  not  belittle 
that  tongue  of  yours.  If  you  only  knew  it  you  talk 
poetry.  But  tell  me,  how  are  things  at  the  Lodge  ? 
All  right,  I  hope,  and  Nanette  and  the  papoose, 
they  are  well?" 

"They  are  well,"  answered  the  Indian.  "But 
we  dwell  not  alone.  With  us  are  Rayner  and  two 
men  of  the  Kwikpak  tribe.  They  are  bad  men." 

"Rayner!"  as  she  echoed  the  name  Joy's  eyes 
flashed  fire. 

"Yes,  with  two  bad  men  of  the  Kwikpak  tribe." 

"When  did  they  arrive?"  asked  Joy  quickly. 

"At  nightfall  five  days  ago.  They  were  very 
weary,  having  followed  the  trail  hard  and  long. 
Rayner  brought  word  from  you  that  he  stay  to  look 
for  some  man,  but  he  brought  no  word  of  your  com- 
ing." 

"No,  I  dare  say  not,"  answered  Joy  sharply. 
"He  would  not  expect  us  so  soon.  We  also  have 
pushed  the  trail  hard.  What  has  Mr.  Rayner  been 
doing  since  he  arrived,  George?" 

"The  first  day  he  rest  and  smoke  and  ask  many 
questions." 

"Questions?     About  what?" 

"He  asked  if  Nanette  or  I  have  beheld  two  men, 
one  of  whom  is  Corporal  Bracknell,  who  took  the 
Northward  trail  when  you  went  southward.  He 
ask  if  we  have  seen  him  since  that  time,  and  I 
answer  no,  for  it  is  the  truth,  and  Rayner  he  smile 

[166] 


AN  ENCOUNTER  AT  THE  LODGE 

to  himself  as  is  the  way  of  a  man  with  a  hidden 
thought." 

"And  the  second  man  of  whom  he  asked?" 

"I  know  him  not !"  answered  the  Indian,  "neither 
him  nor  the  name  of  Dick  which  he  bore." 

"Dick!"  Joy  swung  round  to  her  companion. 
"You  hear,  Babette.  He  asks  after  Dick,  whose 
body,  as  he  told  me,  he  had  thrust  into  an  ice-hole. 
I  thought  when  he  told  me  that  he  lied  and  now  I 
know." 

She  turned  to  the  Indian  again.  "And  the  other 
days?" 

"The  other  days,"  answered  the  Indian  gravely, 
"he  drink  much  brandy  and  a  little  coffee,  and  the 
two  bad  men  they  go  on  a  journey  and  return  yester- 
day. They  bring  news  I  think,  for  at  dawn  tomor- 
row they  depart  with  Rayner." 

"No!  Not  tomorrow,"  cried  Joy,  "but  this 
very  day." 

"That  will  be  as  you  desire,  mistress.  When  we 
return " 

"Where  are  they  going?  Do  you  know, 
George?" 

"They  take  the  Northward  trail.  Rayner  tell 
me  that  when  he  have  drunk  much  brandy.  'From 
North  Star  to  the  North  Star  we  go,'  he  say,  'y°u 
old  graven  image,  and  when  we  come  back  the  girl 
shall  be  ours!'  I  do  not  understand  such  words, 
for  there  is  no  girl  there,  but  such  are  the  words 
that  Rayner  speak." 

Joy  looked  at  Babette.  "He  knows  something," 
she  said. 

[167] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Yes,"  answered  her  foster-sister,  "but  there  is 
one  thing  he  does  not  know,  and  that  is  a  woman's 
heart.  He  surely  cannot  hope " 

"I  do  not  know  what  he  may  hope.  I  know  what 
I  shall  do.  My  cousin  Adrian  is  intolerable  in  his 
pretensions." 

"What  will  you  do,  Joy?  I  begin  to  fancy  that 
away  from  the  restraints  of  civilization  Adrian 
Rayner  is  possibly  a  dangerous  man.  And  we  are 
'North  of  fifty-three!'" 

"I  do  not  care.  I  am  not  afraid.  There  is,  as 
you  once  hinted,  the  law  of  the  wilderness,  and  at 
least  I  will  be  mistress  in  my  own  house."  She 
turned  to  her  servant.  "We  will  leave  you  one  of 
the  sleds,  George.  You  will  then  be  able  to  bring 
some  of  the  meat  home.  I  will  talk  with  you 
again  when  you  arrive." 

She  gave  orders  for  one  team  to  push  on  and  one 
to  remain,  then  as  she  and  her  foster-sister  recom- 
menced their  march  she  spoke  again. 

"I  wonder  why  Adrian  Rayner  has  lingered  so 
long  at  North  Star?" 

"He  has  evidently  been  using  the  Lodge  as  his 
head-quarters  whilst  he  made  the  necessary  inquir- 
ies. Also  there  is  another  possibility,"  answered 
Babette. 

"And  what  is  that?" 

"I  have  a  thought  that  he  may  be  desirous  of 
assuring  himself  that  you  have  arrived  here.  It  is 
only  a  possibility,  but  it  is  there." 

"I  do  not  see  why " 

"Why  do  you  suppose  he  wished  to  marry  you?" 
asked  Babette  quickly.  "Because  he  loved  you?" 

[168] 


AN  ENCOUNTER  AT  THE  LODGE 

Possibly!  But  you  are  a  rich  woman,  and  I  think 
that  may  have  more  to  do  with  the  question  than 
you  have  yet  thought.  It  may  have  more  to  do 
with  his  journey  here  than  anything  else.  Have 
you  made  a  will,  Joy?" 

"No!"  answered  Joy  quickly.  "I  have  never 
thought  of  it.  My  uncle  never  suggested  it  to 
me." 

"That  is  not  surprising,"  was  the  answer. 
"After  Dick  Bracknell,  your  uncle  is  your  next  of 
kin.  He  and  your  cousin  are  your  only  blood  rel- 
atives. Without  a  will,  your  marriage  being  un- 
known, your  estate  would  fall  to  them  if  you  were 
to  die." 

Joy's  face  showed  a  dawning  horror.  "Oh,  but 
my  uncle " 

"Your  uncle  is  human,  Joy,  and  what  is  more  he 
has  his  difficulties.  Whilst  we  were  at  Claridge's  I 
overheard  two  men  talking.  I  said  nothing  to  you 
at  the  time,  regarding  it  as  mere  gossip,  but  they 
were  discussing  Sir  Joseph,  and  one  of  them  said 
that  he  had  gathered  some  confounded  bad  eggs 
during  the  last  year  or  two,  and  that  he  must  be 
very  rich  to  stand  it.  Supposing  he  is  not  very  rich. 
Supposing  the  bad  eggs  are  more  than  he  can  stand. 
Then  your  money " 

"But  I  cannot  think  that  of  my  uncle,  Babette;  it 
is  monstrous." 

"Of  your  uncle.  No!  Perhaps  not!  But  your 
cousin  is  another  matter.  Let  us  suppose  that  he 
knows  of  Sir  Joseph's  losses.  We  know  he  is  not 
scrupulous.  Knowing  of  your  marriage  to  Dick 
Bracknell,  he  paid  you  attention.  He  asked  you  to 

[169] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

marry  him.  He  even  stooped  to  threats,  as  you 
told  me.  Why?  Because  he  wanted  to  be  able  to 
control  your  fortune,  to  keep  the  money,  some  of 
which  was  badly  needed.  You  may  shake  your 
head,  Joy,  but  that  is  at  least  a  possibility;  and 
that  is  why  I  suggest  that  it  is  possible  that  Adrian 
Rayner  may  be  desirous  of  assuring  himself  of  your 
arrival  here.  You  are  beginning  to  know  him;  do 
you  think  that  after  his  attempt  to  lure  you  into  a 
bigamous  marriage,  and  after  his  threats,  that  he 
will  be  at  all  chary  of  using  any  means  that  circum- 
stances may  offer  of  putting  him  in  possession  of 
your  fortune?  I  do  not!  And  he  has  been  drink- 
ing, if  what  George  says  is  true ;  and  drink  makes  a 
tempted  man  dangerous.  You  must  be  careful, 
Joy,  even  diplomatic  if  necessary." 

"I  shall  order  him  to  leave  North  Star  the  mo- 
ment we  arrive  there !"  answered  Joy  stubbornly. 
"If  there  is  a  shadow  of  truth  in  your  surmises, 
there  is  all  the  more  reason  why  I  should  do  so." 

"You  will  do  as  you  please,  Joy,"  replied  her 
foster-sister,  breaking  into  a  smile,  "and  at  any  rate 
we  have  the  big  battalions  on  our  side.  With  the 
drivers  and  George,  and  George's  son,  Jim,  we 
shall  be  able  to  enforce  your  will." 

"And  I  shall  do  so,"  answered  Joy.  "Here  I 
am  strong  enough  to  disregard  his  threats." 

As  it  happened,  the  first  person  they  encountered 
when  they  left  the  river  trail  and  swung  into  the 
clearing  which  led  to  the  Lodge,  was  Adrian  Ray- 
ner. ^  He  was  walking  towards  the  river,  with  a 
rifle  in  the  crook  of  his  arm,  and  as  he  saw  them 
swinging  towards  him,  he  halted  suddenly,  and 

[170] 


AN  ENCOUNTER  AT  THE  LODGE 

remained  quite  still,  until  Joy  reached  him.  The 
look  on  his  face  betrayed  his  surprise,  and  to  Joy  it 
was  clear  that  he  had  not  expected  to  encounter  her 
before  his  departure  from  the  lodge.  He  stood 
there  a  little  nonplussed  and  it  was  Joy  who  spoke 
first. 

"You  have  not  wasted  time,  Cousin  Adrian,"  she 
said,  and  there  was  an  unmistakable  edge  to  her 
tones'. 

"No,"  he  answered  with  an  awkward  laugh.  "I 
promised  you  I  would  find  that  man  who  was  in  the 
wood  when  you  shot  your  hus " 

"No !"  she  interrupted  sharply,  "not  when  I  did, 
but  when  you  shot  my  husband!" 

There  was  accusation  in  her  eyes,  her  voice,  and 
Rayner  visibly  quailed  before  it.  Then  he  cried — 

"What  confounded  nonsense  is  this?" 

"It  is  not  nonsense,"  she  answered.  "It  is  at 
least  a  possibility.  You  were  in  the  wood  that 
night,  and  you  had  a  rifle  with  you.  There  were 
two  shots,  and  one  of  them  hit  Dick  Bracknell. 
One  of  those  shots  came  from  my  rifle,  but  from 
whose  rifle  did  the  second  come?  Yours!  I  say." 

"Mine !"  he  cried  harshly.  "You  must  be  mad. 
You  cannot  have  thought  over  what  you  are  say- 
ing." 

"No,"  she  countered,  "I  am  not  mad,  I  am  quite 
sane,  and  I  have  thought  a  great  deal  over  the 
matter." 

"But  why  should  I  shoot  Dick  Bracknell  mas- 
querading as  Koona  Dick?  He  was  not  my  hus- 
band?" 

"No,"  replied  Joy  coolly,  "but  he  was  mine,  and 

[171] 


you  had  somehow  become  aware  of  the  fact.     If  I 

am  not  mistaken,  you  yourself  aspired  to  marry 
»> 

"Men  are  sometimes  smitten  with  madness,"  he 
interposed  sneeringly.  "But  there  is  another  pos- 
sibility that  I  can  suggest  to  you,  of  which  you  do 
not  seem  to  have  thought.  That  precious  cor- 
poral who  was  here;  he  had  a  gun!  Also,  I  fancy 
that  he  would  find  the  death  of  Dick  Bracknell  no 
heartbreaking  business,  as  it  would  bring  him 
within  a  step  of  the  succession  to  Harrow  Fell;  and 
as  Jeff  Bracknell  is  now  dead,  it  puts  him  absolutely 
on  the  doorstep.  Have  you  thought  of  that?" 

"There  is  no  need  that  I  should,"  answered  Joy 
promptly.  "Roger  Bracknell  had  no  knowledge 
that  the  man  whom  he  knew  as  Koona  Dick  was 
his  cousin,  until  he  picked  up  a  note  which  Dick  had 
written  to  me,  which  was  some  time  after  the  firing 
had  taken  place.  I  know  that,  and  your  sugges- 
tion is  merely  preposterous." 

"You  think  so,"  he  laughed.  "I  wonder  why?" 
Something  in  his  tones  brought  the  blood  flaming 
to  Joy  Gargrave's  face.  Her  eyes  flashed  indig- 
nantly. Rayner  laughed  again  brutally. 

"Not  that  there  is  any  need  for  wonder,"  he  said 
maliciously.  "You  seem  to  be  in  great  vogue  with 

the  Bracknells.     It  must  be  a  family  weakness  for 
____" 

"How  dare  you?"  She  took  a  step  forward, 
and  suddenly  raised  the  dog  whip  in  her  hand. 
Rayner  backed  quickly,  and  instinctively  raised  his 
hand.  But  the  long  lash  smote  him  on  the  face, 
and  he  gave  vent  to  a  savage  oath. 


AN  ENCOUNTER  AT  THE  LODGE 

"You — virago!     Would  you?" 

He  had  lost  complete  control  of  himself,  and 
what  would  have  happened  is  only  to  be  conject- 
ured, but  at  that  moment  the  Indian  George  step- 
ped quietly  from  behind  some  tall  bushes.  He  still 
carried  his  rifle,  and  though  there  was  an  impassive 
look  on  his  brown  face,  his  eyes  were  blazing. 
The  white  man  saw  him,  and  as  he  met  those  eyes, 
the  wrath  in  him  was  checked.  The  Indian  spoke 
no  word,  but  very  deliberately  opened  the  breech 
of  his  rifle,  as  if  to  assure  himself  that  it  was 
loaded.  Then  he  closed  it  and  looked  at  Rayner 
again,  and  at  that  second  look  the  white  man  shiv- 
ered, for  in  it  he  saw  something  threatening  and 
ominous,  which  unsealed  the  springs  of  fear  within 
him.  Joy  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"George,"  she  said,  addressing  her  henchman, 
"Mr.  Rayner  takes  the  trail  in  an  hour.  Any- 
thing he  needs  for  his  journey  he  is  to  have;  but  he 
goes  within  the  hour,  and  never  again  is  he  to  visit 
North  Star.  Do  you  understand?" 

The  Indian  nodded  his  head  in  grave  assent,  and 
without  another  look  at  Adrian  Rayner,  Joy 
turned  and  went  up  the  road  towards  the  house. 


[173] 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  NEWS 

DURING  the  weeks  of  his  convalescence  in 
Chief  Louis'  smoking  tepee,  Roger  Brack- 
nell  spent  much  of  his  time  in  reflecting  on 
the  news  which  the  chief  had  given  him.  Review- 
ing the  story  calmly  and  dispassionately,  he  could 
find  nothing  to  weaken  the  conclusion  which  the 
half-breed  himself  had  reached.  The  dynamite 
and  the  winter  thunder,  with  the  description  of  the 
broken  trail  and  the  strange  conduct  of  the  un- 
known man  in  deliberately  over-running  Rolf  Gar- 
grave's  camp,  were  almost  conclusive  evidence. 
Some  one  had  planned  that  Rolf  Gargrave  should 
die;  and  his  death  had  been  as  surely  a  murder  as 
if  the  man  who  had  planned  it  had  taken  a  rifle 
with  which  to  do  the  deed.  Who  was  the  man? 
As  often  as  he  asked  himself  this  question,  the 
corporal  found  his  thoughts  reverting  to  his  cousin. 
Had  Dick  Bracknell,  having  married  Rolf  Gar- 
grave's  daughter,  deliberately  planned  the  murder 
of  the  millionaire?  His  heart  revolted  at  the 
thought,  but  he  could  not  escape  from  it.  Dick 
had  been  hard  pressed.  He  was  already  a  fugitive 
from  justice  when  he  had  arrived  in  the  North  and, 
so  far  as  the  corporal  knew,  that  arrival  had  been 
a  secret  one.  He  would  be  quite  unknown — even 
to  Rolf  Gargrave.  No  one  would  suspect  him, 


THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  NEWS 

and  the  plan  he  had  chosen  was  itself  so  novel,  that 
but  for  the  Indians  noticing  his  absence  from  the 
camp,  and  carrying  the  sticks  of  dynamite  back  to 
Chief  Louis,  it  must  have  escaped  detection. 

The  more  the  corporal  thought  of  it,  the  more 
black  seemed  the  case  against  his  cousin.  Rolf 
Gargrave  was  a  clever  man,  and  powerful,  and  he 
had  had  his  own  plans  for  his  danghter.  Dick 
Bracknell  must  have  known  that  when  he  heard 
how  Joy  had  been  trapped  into  marriage,  he  would 
be  very  wrathful,  and  calculating  on  the  father's 
intervention  he  must  have  decided  to  get  rid  of 
him,  in  the  hope  of  sooner  or  later  trading  upon 
Joy's  inexperience  of  the  world.  One  day,  whilst 
he  was  reflecting  on  the  problem,  unable  to  touch 
certainty  anywhere,  a  thought  occurred  to  him, 
and  when  Chief  Louis  entered  the  tepee  he 
promptly  asked  a  question — 

"Louis,  when  was  it  that  the  stranger  called  at 
your  camp  for  guides  to  help  him  to  find  Rolf  Gar- 
grave?  I  mean  what  time  of  the  year  was  it?" 

The  chief  considered  for  a  moment.  Then  he 
answered  gravely.  "It  was  two  moons  before  ze 
ice  break  up." 

"You  are  sure?"  asked  the  corporal. 

"Certain!" 

"That  would  be  March  or  a  little  later,"  said 
the  corporal  thoughtfully.  "And  Dick  fled  from 
England  about  Christmas.  If  he  came  straight 
through  he  might  do  it  comfortably." 

"Dick!     Who  ees  dat?"  asked  the  chief  quickly. 

"He  is  the  one  man  I  know  who  may  have  been 
interested  in  Rolf  Gargrave's  death.  You  may 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

have  heard  of  him?  He  is  known  in  the  North  as 
Koona  Dick!" 

"I  hav'  not  him  seen,  unless  he  vas  ze  stranger 
mans  who  come  to  my  camp  dat  day.  But  of  him  I 
hav'  heard.  He  is  bad  mans,  he  want  shooting. 
He  sell  whiskey — mooch  whiskey,  to  ze  Porcupine 
Sticks,  an'  dey  fight  till  seven  be  dead  in  ze  snow. 
Also  he  take  their  catch  of  fur  for  ze  whiskey,  an' 
when  ze  winter  it  come,  dey  freeze,  an'  ze  babes 
die.  Yes,  of  him,  I  have  heard,  an'  he  is  very  bad 
mans.  So  he  is  ze  mans  dat  come  to  my  lodges  dat 
day,  an'  dat  blow  up  ze  trail  for  Rolf  Gargrave 
so  dat  he  die." 

"I  have  not  said  so  yet,"  answered  the  corporal 
thoughtfully,  "but  I  am  afraid  that  there  can  be 
little  question  of  it.  Some  day  when  I  meet  him  I 
shall  put  the  question  to  him  plainly,  and  learn  the 
truth." 

"You  know  dis  mans,  Koona  Dick?" 

"Yes!     He  is  my  cousin." 

As  he  received  the  information  the  half-breed 
flashed  a  quick  glance  of  sympathy. 

"Le  diable!"  he  said.  "Dat  is  strange.  But 
so  it  does  befall.  One  pup  of  ze  litter  he  ees  a 
good  dog,  and  he  grows  to  ze  collar-work  natur- 
ally; but  anoder  he  is  bad,  he  snarl  like  ze  wolf,  he 
is  a  thief,  he  will  not  do  ze  work.  So  is  it  with  ze 
sled-dogs  and  with  men !  It  is  passing  strange,  but 
I  hev'  often  beheld  it,  and  it  is  so !" 

The  corporal  nodded  his  assent.  He  had  often 
wondered  at  the  crooked  strain  which  had  sent  his 
cousin  on  wild  courses  to  dishonour,  but  could  find 
no  consolation  in  the  thought  that  given  certain 

[176] 


THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  NEWS 

circumstances  the  way  of  dishonour  was  almost 
inevitable.  He  rose  from  the  couch  of  skins,  and 
moving  stiffly  towards  the  fire,  thrust  in  a  spruce 
twig,  and  with  it  lit  his  pipe.  Then  he  turned  to 
the  chief. 

"I  wonder  how  soon  I  shall  be  able  to  take  the 
trail,  Louis?" 

The  half-breed  shook  his  head.  "Not  yet.  Ze 
leg  dat  hav'  been  broken,  it  is  not  good  for  snow- 
shoe  work.  No!  It  ache  like  le  diable!  You 
must  wait — wait  till  ze  ice  break  up,  then  you  go 
down  ze  river  in  a  canoe.  Dat  will  be  ze  easy  way. 
Yes." 

A  mutinous  look  came  on  Roger  Bracknell's 
face.  Having  so  long  lived  an  active  life,  he  was 
growing  tired  of  the  monotony  of  the  encampment, 
and  as  he  felt  the  strength  returning  to  his  leg  was 
more  and  more  inclined  to  make  the  attempt  to 
reach  civilization  as  represented  by  the  police-post. 
There  was  news  to  send  to  Joy  Gargrave,  news 
that  might  profoundly  affect  her  life,  and  it  was 
desirable  that  she  should  receive  it  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment. 

"I  do  not  think  that  I  shall  wait  until  then, 
Louis.  They  will  give  me  up  for  lost,  at  the 
post,  and  besides  I  have  news  for  a  certain 
person — " 

"Is  the  news  good?"  interrupted  the  chief.  For 
a  moment  the  corporal  did  not  reply.  Was  the 
news  he  had  to  send  Joy  Gargrave  good?  In  one 
way,  yes !  It  would  suffice  to  remove  any  lingering 
doubt  as  to  the  effect  of  the  shot  that  she  had  fired 
when  she  had  gone  to  meet  Dick  Bracknell  in  the 

[177] 


wood.  He  would  be  able  to  assure  her,  on  the 
evidence  of  Dick  himself,  that  she  was  not  respon- 
sible for  the  mischief  that  had  been  done.  That 
assurance,  as  he  knew,  would  mean  the  lifting  of  a 
weight  of  apprehension  from  Joy's  heart.  In 
another  way,  however,  the  news  was  bad.  Dick 
Bracknell  was  still  alive,  and  that  meant  that  she 
was  still  bound  to  him,  and  that  on  the  first  favour- 
able opportunity  he  might  assert  himself.  His 
mind  was  still  balancing  the  good  and  evil  of  the 
case,  when  Louis,  who  had  been  watching  his  face, 
spoke  again. 

"There  is  no  need  to  speak.  Ze  news  it  is  not 
good!  Therefore  there  is  not  any  cause  for  haste. 
Ill  news  does  not  grow  worse  for  keeping,  and  the 
trail  it  is  bad  these  days,  for  there  is  mooch  snow." 

"Nevertheless,  I  shall  make  the  endeavour, 
Louis!  I  will  borrow  a  man  and  a  dog  team  and 
meat  from  you,  and  in  one  week  I  will  take  the 
trail.  If  I  find  it  too  much  for  me,  I  can  return." 

The  chief  nodded.  "As  you  please.  Ze  dogs 
are  yours,  also  ze  meat  an  ze  mans,  though  ze  hun- 
ters are  from  ze  camp  just  now.  But  if  you  mus' 
go,  you  mus'.  It  is  le  diable  in  ze  race  that  drives 
you  forth,  corp'ral." 

"The  devil  in  the  race?"  laughed  Bracknell. 
"I  do  not  understand,  Louis.  What  do  you 
mean?" 

"I  mean  ze  unrest  that  dwells  in  ze  men  of  your 
tribe.  It  drives  them  forth,  for  good  or  ill,  to  ze 
conquest  of  ze  lands.  It  makes  them  seek  ze  stick 
which  runs  through  ze  earth " 

[178] 


THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  NEWS 

"The  pole,  you  mean,  Louis." 

"Ze  pole,  yes!  And  when  got,  what  good? 
It  makes  them  dat  they  cannot  sit  by  ze  fires  in 
warm  tepees,  but  must  go  hunt  ze  bald-faced  bear, 
or  dig  ze  frozen  earth  for  gold  dat  somewhere 
white  squaw  may  fling  it  from  ze  window." 

"Yes!"  laughed  the  corporal.  "You  put  the 
truth — rather  brutally.  We  are  rather  given  that 
way.  But  it  isn't  the  devil,  Louis,  it  is  the  genius 
and  instinct  of  our  race  for  conquest  that  drives  us 
• — that  and  the  dream  of  the  home-woman,  I  sup- 
pose." 

Chief  Louis  nodded.  "Oui!  maybe;  and  you 
haf  ze  dream  corp'ral." 

Corporal  Bracknell  stopped  his  perambulation 
of  the  hut,  and  stared  at  his  companion. 

"Now  how  the  dickens  do  you  know  that, 
Louis?" 

"I  have  seen  it  in  your  eyes.  You  speak  of  Rolf 
Gargrave,  an'  twice,  only  twice  you  hav'  speak  of 
Gargrave's  daughter,  but  there  were  dreams  in  ze 
eyes  then,  and  a  soft  note  in  ze  voice,  and  I  know 
dat  she  is  what  you  call  ze  home-woman.  Oui !  I 
know  dat  is  so." 

The  corporal's  face  flushed,  and  he  did  not  deny 
it.  For  one  moment  as  he  stood  there,  he  had  a 
vision  of  Joy  Gargrave,  young  and  beautiful  and  a 
fit  mate  for  any  man,  and  in  that  moment  there 
were  dreams  in  his  eyes.  Three  seconds  later 
realities  asserted  themselves,  and  the  soft  light 
died  from  his  eyes.  He  gave  a  little  bitter  laugh, 
and  without  speaking  resumed  his  perambulations. 

[179] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Chief  Louis  watched  him  for  a  moment  then  he 
said  tentatively,  "There  be  difficulties  ahead,  cor- 
p'ral." 

"Yes,"  nodded  Bracknell,  "grave  difficulties! 
What  would  you  do,  Louis,  if  you  wanted  a  maid 
to  wife?" 

"I  should  offer  a  large  price — blankets,  guns, 
tobac!" 

Roger  Bracknell  laughed  at  the  notion  of  offer- 
ing a  large  price  for  Joy  Gargrave,  and  then 
mooted  the  real  difficulty. 

"But  if  it  was  not  a  matter  of  price,  Louis, 
rather  of  another  man!  What  then?" 

"Then  I  would  him  fight.  Always  maidens  are 
caught  with  strength.  They  love  a  man.  Dat  is 
ze  law  of  life  and  of  mating.  Ze  strong  wolf  in  ze 
pack  he  hav'  ze  pick  an'  ze  strong  bull-moose  he 
hav'  ze  herd;  an'  zc  strong  man  he  take  ze  maid. 
I  have  looked  on  ze  world  and  so  is  it !  Yes ! 
Love  like  all  dings  else  is  ze  spoil  of  ze  strong!" 

Bracknell  did  not  reply  for  a  moment.  In  that 
hour  the  law  of  the  primeval  wilds  appealed  to  him 
strongly,  but  he  knew  that  it  was  not  the  way  for 
him. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "it  is  the  law  of  the  wilds,  but 
not  of  my  race.  I  carry  a  law  that  is  the  law  of 
man,  and  he  who  kills  whether  for  love  or  hate  dies 
therefor.  The  thing  is  impossible!" 

Chief  Louis  grunted  disapprobation.  "Ze  law 
of  ze  wild  is  better.  For  dat  reason  I  dwell  in  ze 
lodges  of  my  mother's  people,  where  ze  strong 
rule." 

He  knocked  the  ashes  from  his  pipe,  and  without 


THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  NEWS 

adding  more  passed  out  of  the  tepee.  Roger 
Bracknell  still  continued  his  perambulations,  exer- 
cising his  injured  leg,  and  as  he  walked  his  mind 
was  busy  with  what  he  felt  was  to  become  the  prob- 
lem of  his  life.  He  loved  Joy  Gargrave.  He 
confessed  it  frankly  to  himself.  He  had  loved  her 
since  that  day  when  in  the  woods  at  North  Star  she 
had  offered  him  her  hand  as  a  token  that  she 
counted  him  among  her  friends!  But  what  good 
was  it?  The  whole  thing  was  so  hopeless  so  long 
as  Dick  Bracknell  lived.  And  if  he  died,  would 
the  outlook  be  any  the  .less  hopeless?  He  could 
not  tell,  but  he  was  afraid  not;  for  friendship  was 
not  love,  and  Joy  Gargrave,  as  he  was  sure,  was 
not  a  woman  to  give  her  affection  easily. 

As  he  thought  despair  gripped  him,  and  the 
tepee's  skin  walls  seemed  too  narrow  a  prison- 
house.  He  threw  on  his  fur  coat  and  mittens  and 
went  outside.  Driven  by  his  thoughts,  he  left  the 
encampment,  and,  walking  stiffly,  moved  down  the 
river  trail.  He  had  walked  perhaps  a  mile  and  a 
half,  when  out  of  the  woods  broke  a  couple  of 
laden  sledges,  and  two  men  of  the  tribe.  They 
were  from  the  hunters,  and  as  they  passed  they 
saluted  him  gravely,  according  to  the  manner  of 
their  race. 

"How!     How!" 

He  responded  in  kind,  and  continued  to  walk  on. 
He  had  proceeded  but  a  little  way  however  when  a 
thought  occurred  to  him.  These  men  had  been 
away  on  the  main,  river.  They  might  have  news  of 
the  outer  world.  Instantly  as  the  thought  came  to 
him,  he  turned  in  his  tracks  and  began  to  return  to 

[181] 


the  encampment.  When  he  reached  there  the  two 
hunters  were  not  to  be  seen,  but  when  he  entered 
his  own  tepee  he  found  Chief  Louis  sitting  by  the 
fire,  smoking.  There  was  an  impassive  look  on  his 
face,  but  in  his  eyes  was  a  light  that  could  not  be 
hidden,  and  the  white  man  knew  that  the  chief  was 
excited.  The  corporal  did  not  remark  upon 
the  fact,  however,  but  deliberately  filled  his  pipe, 
and  seating  himself,  smoked  on  as  if  he  had  noticed 
nothing.  After  a  little  time  Louis  spoke. 

"Ze  hunters  they  hav'  sent  meat,  mooch  meat!" 

"Yes,"  answered  Bracknell.  "I  met  two  men 
of  the  tribe  just  now." 

"There  is  meat  for  a  potlach  (feast),  but  dat  is 
not  ze  way  of  my  people.  We  are  not  as  ze 
wolves  which  eat  all,  even  ze  bones,  an'  then  run 
hungry  until  a  new  kill  is  made." 

"There  is  much  wisdom  in  such  prudence,"  an- 
swered Bracknell,  wondering  when  the  half-breed 
would  unfold  his  news. 

"It  is  ze  way  of  ze  white  mans,  and  it  is  ze  way 
of  ze  wise,  therefore  do  we  eat  and  leave  meat  that 
we  may  eat  again." 

The  corporal  nodded,  but  said  nothing,  and 
after  a  pause  Chief  Louis  spoke  again.  "Of  ze 
two  men  you  met,  one  was  Sibou." 

"Ah!  Sibou,  who  with  Paslik  went  as  guide 
with  the  stranger  who  wished  to  overtake  Rolf 
Gargrave?" 

"Oui!  Sibou,  who  went  with  ze  stranger  mans 
who  blow  ze  bottom  out  of  ze  trail  that  Rolf  Gar- 
grave  die !" 

Roger  Bracknell  waited.     He  felt  that  he  was 


THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  NEWS 

on  the  verge  of  some  revelation,  but  he  concealed 
his  impatience  and  maintained  an  unperturbed 
demeanour,  knowing  that  such  would  commend 
him  to  his  host.  The  half-breed  puffed  stolidly  at 
his  pipe  for  a  full  minute,  then  he  spoke  again. 

"Sibou  brings  not  meat  alone,  he  brings 
news." 

"News." 

"Oui !  Of  ze  stranger  mans  who  dynamite  ze 
trail!" 

"Is  that  so?" 

"Dat  is  ze  news  which  Sibou  bring  to  me.  He 
say  dat  six  days  ago,  ze  stranger  mans  come  to  ze 
hunting  camp  to  buy  meat.  He  have  with  him  fine 
dogs  and  two  bad  Indians.  He  offer  for  meat  one 
good  rifle  and  many  cartridges,  an'  Sibou  sell  him 
meat.  Also-  he  know  him  for  ze  stranger  mans; 
but  ze  stranger  he  does  not  know  Sibou,  whose  face 
was  last  winter  mauled  by  a  bald-faced  grizzly  to 
whom  he  did  not  give  ze  trail.  The  stranger  mans 
he  camp  with  the  hunters  for  ze  night,  and  ze  two 
Indians  they  smoke  with  Sibou  and  ask  questions, 
many  questions." 

"Yes,"  said  Bracknell,  as  the  chief  pausedt 
"What  about?" 

'They  ask  about  a  white  mans  of  ze  name  of 
Koona  Dick!" 

"Great  Scott!" 

"Also  they  ask  if  anything  be  known  of  anoder 
white  mans  a  policemans  who  is  lost,  an'  Sibou, 
whose  tongue  is  a  silent  one,  ask  ze  name  of  ze 
policemans." 

"Did  he  get  it?"  asked  the  corporal  quickly. 

[183] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Oui!  Ze  name  was  Corporal,  Bracknell,  which 
is  you." 

"By  Jove,  yes !     But  who " 

The  half-breed  checked  him  by  raising  his  hand, 
and  continued,  "Sibou  hav'  in  mind  dat  ze  trail  was 
blown  up  for  Rolf  Gargrave,  and  he  is  cautious. 
He  told  of  your  sled  which  was  found,  and  of  ze 
dead  wolves,  but  he  say  nodings  dat  we  find  you  an' 
dat  you  are  with  me ;  and  presently  the  two  bad  In- 
dians go  back  to  the  stranger  mans  who  is  in  a  tepee 
which  Sibou  has  set  for  him.  Sibou  he  follow,  and 
he  lie  in  ze  snow  outside  ze  tepee,  and  with  his 
knife  he  cut  a  hole  in  the  tepee  dat  he  may  see  and 
hear.  Ze  stranger  mans  is  by  ze  fire,  and  Sibou 
see  ze  face  of  him,  whilst  his  men  talk.  When 
they  tell  of  ze  sled  and  ze  dead  wolves,  ze  white 
mans  he  smile  as  a  man  well  pleased;  an'  dat  is 
everything,  except  dat  next  morning  he  go  north 
with  ze  meat  he  hav'  bartered  for.  Such  is  ze  tale 
of  Sibou.  What  tink  you,  corporal?" 

"Think!  It  is  no  time  for  thinking,  it  is  the 
time  for  action.  There's  some  infernal  work 
afoot,  and  I  start  on  that  man's  trail  tomorrow. 
Whatever  his  game  may  be  now — and  it's  a  mys- 
tery that  passes  my  comprehension — he's  the  mur- 
derer of  Rolf  Gargrave,  and  I'll  get  him  if  I  follow 
him  to  the  Pole!  But  the  story  puzzles  me! 
Those  Indians  asked  about  Koona  Dick.  Why 
should  they  do  that?" 

The  chief  shook  his  head.     "Dat  I  cannot  tell." 

"It's  odd,  very  odd!  Koona  Dick  is  the  one 
man  who  may  reasonably  be  suspected  of  a  motive 


THE  CORPORAL  HEARS  NEWS 

for  getting  rid  of  Rolf  Gargrave.  That  I  know, 
but " 

He  broke  off  as  a  thought  occurred  to  him,  and 
then  remarked  thoughtfully,  "The  question  may 
have  been  a  mere  bluff  of  Dick's.  He  may  after 
all  have  recognized  Sibou  and  set  his  men  to  ask  the 
question  in  order  to  discover  whether  your  man 
had  any  knowledge  of  his  name!  Yes,  that  may 
be  it!  But  I  will  find  him,  and  I  will  learn  the 
truth.  Louis,  can  I  have  a  team  and  stores  for 
the  morning?  And  Sibou  also?  He  knows  the 
man  and  I  do  not.  Of  course  the  service  will  be 
paid  for  from  Regina." 

The  chief  nodded  his  head.  "Ze  dogs  are 
yours,  with  the  stores,  also  Sibou  goes  with  you. 
But  you  will  find  ze  trail  hard,  for  dat  leg  he  is  not 
yet  strong." 

"It  will  grow  stronger  every  day,  and  with  Sibou 
to  pack  the  trail  I  shall  do  well.  I  start  at  dawn 
in  the  morning." 

"Then,"  said  Louis,  rising,  "I  will  go,  and  ze 
teams  select  for  you.  Ze  dogs  shall  be  of  ze  best." 

He  went  out  leaving  Roger  Bracknell  in  a  whirl 
of  conflicting  thoughts. 


[185] 


CHAPTER  XVII 
A  LONELY  CABIN 

CORPORAL  BRACKNELL  and  Sibou  had 
left  the  hunting  camp  of  the  tribe  two  days 
and  were  following  the  trail  of  the  white 
man  and  the  two  Indians  who  had  visited  it  more 
than  a  week  before.     The  trail,  though  it  was  old, 
was  well  defined,   for  there  had  been  no   fall  of 
snow  in  the  interval,  and  the  frozen  surface  of  the 
wilderness  kept  the  trail  fresh,  and  made  it  easy  to 
follow.     It  was  evident  to  both  of  them  that  their 
quarry  travelled  fast,  for  the  distances  between  the 
camping  places  were  greater  than  was  usual,  and  it 
was  clear  that  those  whom  they  followed  had  some 
need   for  haste.     What   it  could  be   the  corporal 
could  only  guess,   and  guessing  under  the  circum- 
stances was  not  a  very  profitable  occupation.     And 
there  were  other  signs  which  gave  room  for  specu- 
lation.    Now  and  again  the  party  ahead  of  them 
had  halted  for  a  little  time,  and  two  of  the  men  had 
left  the  dogs  and  the  sled,  as  their  tracks  showed. 
These  halting  places,  as  the  corporal  was  quick  to 
observe,  always  occurred  when  some  small  stream 
fell  into  the  main  river,  or  when  some  accessible 
gully  or  creek  opened  from  the  banks. 

"What  do  you  make  of  it,  Sibou?"  he  asked 
when  they  had  reached  the  fifth  halting  place  of 
this  sort. 

[186] 


A  LONELY  CABIN 

The  Indian  who  had  followed  the  tracks  of  two 
of  the  gullies  to  the  point  where  they  reversed 
glanced  at  those  which  now  lay  before  them. 
Then  he  waved  a  mittened  hand. 

"These  men  be  looking  for  something." 
"Or     some     one!"     commented     the     corporal 
thoughtfully. 

The  Indian  gave  a  grave  inclination  of  his  head. 
"It  is  not  good  to  follow  every  trail,"  he  said  in 
his  own  tongue.  "Sometime  perhaps  we  shall  find 
a  trail  that  does  not  return  on  itself,  then  we  know 
they  find  what  they  seek  and  we  follow." 

"Yes,"  answered  the  corporal,  "that  is  the  best 
way,  I  think.  We  will  push  on  and  not  waste  time 
on  these  excursions." 

They  pressed  forward  and  passed  two  more  of 
these  deviations  from  the  main  track  without 
troubling  to  follow  them.  Just  before  daylight 
faded,  when  they  were  hugging  the  bank  looking 
for  a  suitable  camping  place,  the  Indian  called  the 
corporal's  attention  to  a  small  creek  the  entrance 
to  which  was  masked  by  low-boughed  spruce  trees. 

"Yes,"  said  the  corporal,  "that  should  do. 
Those  banks  and  trees  should  break  this  wind." 

They  turned  the  dogs  towards  it,  and  negotiat- 
ing a  snow  wreath  which  the  wind  was  piling  up, 
they  entered  the  sheltering  creek.  Sibou  was 
leading,  packing  the  trail,  and  the  corporal  clinging 
to  the  gee-pole  of  the  sled,,  saw  him  come  to  a  most 
unexpected  halt.  Bracknell  moved  forward. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Sibou?" 

The  Indian  did  not  speak,  but  pointed  silently 
at  the  snow,  and  looking  down  the  corporal  saw 

[is?] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

the  unmistakable  trail  of  snow-shoes.  The  tracks 
were  quite  fresh,  and  were  so  unexpected  that 
Bracknell  was  himself  astonished.  He  stared  at 
them  as  Crusoe  must  have  stared  when  he  found 
the  footprints  on  the  shore  of  his  island.  Who 
had  left  that  tell-tale  trail?  Perhaps  a  wandering 
Indian.  Maybe  some  solitary  prospector  caught 
by  winter,  or  possibly  the  man  whom  he  was  seek- 
ing, the  murderer  of  Rolf  Gargrave.  His  heart 
beat  quickly  at  the  thought  and,  still  staring  at  the 
trail  which  came  down  the  bank  of  the  creek  and 
then  turned  away  from  the  river,  he  considered  the 
matter  carefully,  and  then  gave  instructions. 

"Follow  it,  Sibou,  and  find  out  where  it  goes 
and  who  made  it.  I  will  pitch  camp  and  wait 
here  for  you." 

The  Indian  nodded  gravely  and  departed  and 
Bracknell  busied  himself  with  pitching  camp.  He 
had  already  lit  the  fire  and  fed  the  dogs,  and  was 
busy  with  the  beans  and  bacon  when  Sibou  re- 
turned. 

"Well?"  asked  the  corporal  expectantly.  "Did 
you  find  him?" 

"Yes,"  was  the  reply.  "There  is  one  Indian 
and  one  white  man.  They  are  in  a  cabin  at  the 
head  of  the  creek." 

Bracknell  was  conscious  of  a  sudden  excitement, 

"Did  you  see  the  white  man?     Is  it " 

Sibou  shook  his  head.  "I  saw  him,  but  it  is  not 
the  man  we  follow;  and  he  is  very  sick  with  the 
coughing  sickness!" 

The  corporal's  excitement  died  as  quickly  as  it 
had  risen. 

[188] 


A  LONELY  CABIN 

"Did  you  speak  with  him,  Sibou?" 

"No,"  replied  the  Indian.  "There  was  no  need. 
I  saw  his  face  as  he  came  to  the  cabin  door.  It  is 
not  the  man." 

Corporal  Bracknell  bent  over  the  fire.  He  was 
disappointed,  but  he  did  not  show  it.  He  turned 
the  bacon  in  the  pan  then  he  looked  up. 

"We  will  have  supper  first,  then  I  will  walk  up 
the  creek  as  far  as  the  cabin,  and  have  a  talk  with 
this  white  man.  He  may  know  something  of  the 
man  we  follow." 

Sibou  made  no  reply,  and  when  the  meal  was 
ready  they  ate  it  in  silence,  and  smoked  whilst  they 
drank  the  coffee.  Then  Bracknell  arose. 

"I  go  now,  Sibou.  I  shall  return  before  sleep- 
ing time." 

The  Indian  offered  no  objection  to  this,  and 
knocking  the  ashes  from  his  pipe  the  policeman 
left  the  camp.  Even  in  the  darkness  he  had  no  dif- 
ficulty in  following  the  trail  up  the  creek,  and  pres- 
ently the  smell  of  burning  wood  informed  him 
that  he  was  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  cabin. 
He  looked  round  carefully  and  descried  it  in  the 
shadow  of  the  trees  on  the  right  bank,  and  began 
to  ascend  towards  it.  When  he  reached!  it  there 
was  no  clamour  of  dogs  such  as  might  have  been 
expected  had  there  been  a  team  there,  and  as  he 
rapped  upon  the  door,  he  reflected  that  his  conjec- 
ture about  the  gold  prospector  overtaken  by  the 
winter  was  probably  the  correct  one. 

The  door  was  flung  open,  and  a  tall  man  whose 
face  he  could  not  discern  stood  revealed.  Inside 
in  front  of  a  makeshift  stove  was  another  man, 


,THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

who  was  taken  suddenly  by  a  paroxysm  of  cough- 
ing. For  half  a  minute  the  corporal  stood  there, 
and  the  man  at  the  door  did  not  move  or  speak; 
but  at  the  end  of  that  time,  between  two  spasms  of 
coughing,  the  other  man  cried  querulously,  "Oh, 
come  in  and  shut  that  confounded  door!" 

The  man  at  the  door  moved  aside,  and  as.  Brack- 
nell  entered,  he  closed  the  door  behind  him,  and 
stood  with  his  back  to  it,  staring  at  the  new-comer 
with  eyes  that  had  in  them  a  savage  gleam  of  hate. 
The  man  by  the  fire  was  still  coughing,  and  at  the 
end  of  some  three  minutes,  as  the  cough  left  him, 
he  sat  there,  gasping  and  wheezing  and  utterly  ex- 
hausted. Roger  Bracknell  watched  him,  with 
compassionate  eyes.  As  he  recognized,  the  man 
was  in  sore  straits,  and  that  cough  probably  meant 
that  the  coming  of  the  Spring  was  for  him  the 
coming  of  death.  As  his  breath  came  back  the 
sick  man  half  turned. 

"Sit  down,  can't "  The  remark  was  broken 

off  half  way,  and  the  man  started  from  his  seat. 
"Great  Christopher!  A  Daniel  come  to  judg- 
ment! How  do  you  do,  Cousin  Roger?" 

As  the  voice  quivering  with  excitement  rang 
through  the  cabin,  a  startled  look  came  on  Roger 
Bracknell's  face,  and  he  bent  forward,  and  stared 
at  the  wasted  features  of  the  unkempt  man  before 
him.  The  other  laughed  harshly. 

"Oh,  you  needn't  stare  so  hard,  Roger;  it  is  I 
right  enough." 

It  was  Dick  Bracknell,  and  as  the  corporal  real- 
ized the  fact,  the  compassion  he  had  felt  for  a 
stranger  was  trebled  when  he  found  that  the  sick 

[190] 


A  LONELY  CABIN 

man  was  of  his  own  blood.  For  a  moment  he  did 
not  reply,  but  with  a  shocked  look  on  his  face  gazed 
at  the  ravaged  features  before  him.  The  "cough- 
ing sickness"  which  Sibou  had  mentioned  had 
plainly  gripped  Dick  Bracknell  -and  marked  him  for 
death.  Some  of  his  teeth  were  gone  and  the  col- 
our of  his  gums  appeared  like  yellow  ochre  in  the 
firelight.  As  he  noted  these  signs  of  scurvy,  the 
corporal  was  moved  to  speak  his  pity. 

"Dick,  old  man,  I  am  mortal  sorry " 

"Then  keep  your  infernal  pity  for  yourself!" 
cried  the  other  savagely.  "You'll  need  it  all  in  a 
minute,  for  Joe  has  the  drop  on  you,  you mur- 
derer." 

The  corporal  started,  and  swung  round.  The 
Indian,  Joe,  was  standing  with  his  back  to  the  door, 
and  the  glow  of  the  fire  was  reflected  from  the 
pistol  in  his  hand.  He  noted  the  fact  quite  calmly, 
and  turned  to  his  cousin  again. 

"Murderer?"  he  said  slowly.  "I  do  not  under- 
stand. What  do  you  mean?" 

"No?"  snarled  his  cousin.  "Well,  look  at  me! 
Would  you  say  that  I  was  a  good  case  for  a  Life 
Insurance  Society?" 

The  corporal  looked  at  him,  and  out  of  pity  was 
silent. 

"Oh,  you  needn't  be  so  particular,"  continued 
the  other  sneeringly.  I've  seen  other  fellows 
whose  lungs  have  been  chilled,  and  I  know  I  am 
booked,  unless  I  can  get  to  a  sanatorium  in  double 
quick  time.  And  I  know  you  have  a  soft  heart,  but 
you  should  have  let  it  speak  sooner — before  you 
put  this  upon  me." 

[191] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Before  I  put I  do  not  know  what  you 

mean?" 

"No!  But  you  know  that  you  poisoned  that 
dog  food  that  we  took  from  you,  don't  you  ?  And 
you  can  guess — ' — " 

"Good  God!"  ejaculated  the  corporal,  and  the 
astonishment  in  his  face  and  voice  did  more  than 
any  protests  could  have  done  to  convince  his  cousin 
that  the  charge  was  groundless. 

"You  didn't  know?  No,  I  see  you  didn't!" 
cried  the  sick  man. 

"Of  course  I  didn't!"  replied  the  policeman 
quickly.  "The  dogs  you  left  me  died  of  poison  at 
my  first  camp,  after  they  had  been  fed.  I  blamed 
your  man,  because  you  had  told  me  that  he  was 
reluctant  to  let  me  go.  Now  it  seems  that  I  was 
wrong,  as  you  are  wrong.  Tell  me  what 
happened?" 

"I  will,"  said  his  cousin,  "sit  down!"  As  the 
corporal  seated  himself  on  a  log,  Dick  Bracknell 
turned  to  the  Indian.  "You  can  put  down  that 
pistol  for  the  present,  Joe.  There's  a  mystery  to 
be  cleared  up  before  there's  any  shooting  to  be 
done.  Put  it  down,  I  tell  you !" 

The  Indian  obeyed  reluctantly,  but  still  stood 
against  the  door,  and  Dick  Bracknell  explained. 
"Joe  there  has  it  saved  up  against  you.  He  was 
sure  that  you  had  deliberately  poisoned  the  dog 
food,  so  that  we  should  get  stranded,  and  you,  with 
a  new  outfit,  would  be  able  to  find  us  at  your  leisure. 
I  couldn't  believe  it  of  you  at  first.  It  was  such  a 
low-down  game  that  I'd  have  sworn  that  nobody 
but  a  Siwash  half-breed  would  have  played  it. 

[192] 


A  LONELY  CABIN 

But  the  logic  of  facts  seemed  convincing,  and  I'd 
come  to  believe  it." 

"Tell  me  what  happened." 

"That's  easy  enough.  When  I  parted  from 
you,  I  had  an  idea  of  working  across  to  the 
Behring,  where  I'd  have  been  off  the  beat  of  your 
confounded  patrols.  We  travelled  a  week  and 
made  a  good  pace,  then  one  night  Joe  there  fed  the 
dogs  with  the  salmon-roe  we  took  off  your  sled. 
They  were  all  dead  within  two  hours;  and  there  we 
were,  stranded  in  the  shadow  of  the  Arctic  circle 
and  nearly  a  thousand  miles  from  civilization." 
The  sick  man  broke  off,  shaken  by  a  fit  of  cough- 
ing, and  then  as  the  spasm  passed  and  his  breath 
returned,  he  said  meditatively,  "If  you'd  walked 
into  our  camp  then  we'd  have  fed  you  with  that  roe, 
and  watched  you  twist  as  those  dogs  were  twisted, 
for  Joe  looked  at  the  food  and  found  strychnine, 
which  he'd  used  when  he  was  trapping  for  the 
H.  B.  C.  .  .  .  Lucky  thing  for  you  that  you 
didn't!  Did  you  say  your  dogs  died  of  the  same 
thing?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  corporal  slowly,  "and  now 
I'm  wondering  who  was  responsible." 

"Somebody  who  was  getting  at  you,  and  not  at 
us,"  answered  Dick  Bracknell  quickly,  "for  he 
couldn't  have  known  that  we  should  collar  the 
food.  Had  you  been  using  the  same  stuff  all 
along?" 

"No."  The  word  dropped  from  the  corporal 
reluctantly.  "No.  I  had  laid  in  a  new  stock  at 
North  Star." 

"Then  it  was  there  the  thing  was  done,"  replied 

[193] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

the  sick  man  with  conviction.  "The  question  is, 
who  did  it?  Joy  wouldn't  even  dream  of  such  a 
thing!" 

"That  at  any  rate  is  quite  certain!"  answered  the 
corporal  with  conviction. 

"But  somebody  did  it;  somebody  who  owed  you 
onei  and  meant  to  get  rid  of  you.  That's  shown 
by  the  fact  that  your  dogs  did  all  right  on  the  food 
at  the  beginning.  That  which  you  used  first 
wasn't  tampered  with,  or  the  dogs  would  have  died 
at  the  first  camp  you  made.  But  they  didn't,  for 
you  camped  with  us,  and  I  remember  that  more 
than  once,  whilst  we  were  waiting  for  my  convales- 
cence, you  fed  your  dogs  with  the  roe.  That  is 
positive  proof  that  the  top  portion  of  the  dog-food 
was  all  right,  it  was  only  lower  down  that  it  had 
been  tampered  with." 

"But  why " 

"Its  as  plain  as  a  barn-door.  You  were  meant 
to  get  well  away  on  the  trail,  and  one  night  you 
would  unknowingly  feed  the  dogs  with  poisoned 
roe.  They  would  die,  and  unless  you  had  wonder- 
ful luck  you  would  die  too,  long  before  you  got 
back  to  civilization.  That  is  the  amiable  plan  that 
somebody  thought  out  for  you;  and  as  things 
turned  out  he  nearly  bagged  me  and  Joe  instead  of 
you." 

"But  he  almost  got  me  too,"  said  the  corporal 
thoughtfully,  and  gave  his  cousin  a  brief  account 
of  his  adventures. 

"You  were  lucky,"  commented  the  sick  man. 
"A  broken  leg  can  be  spliced,  but  who  is  going  to 
splice  a  set  of  frozen  lungs?"  His  face  grew 

[194] 


A  LONELY  CABIN 

suddenly  convulsed  with  passion,  and  he  broke  into 
terrible  oaths.  "If  I  had  the  murderer  here — but 
who  was  he  anyway?" 

"There  is  only  one  man  of  whom  I  can  think, 
and  before  I  tell  you  his  name  there  are  two  ques- 
tions I  should  like  to  ask." 

"Fire  them  off !" 

"The  first  is  this,  do  you  know  anything  of  Rolf 
Gargrave's  death?" 

"I  know  that  the  bottom  dropped  out  of  the  trail 
and  that  he  was  drowned — nothing  more. 
What's  that  got  to  do  with  it  anyway?" 

The  corporal  looked  at  his  cousin.  The  hag- 
gard face  was  clear  of  guilt,  and  in  that  moment 
he  knew  that  his  earliest  suspicions  when  Chief 
Louis  had  told  him  the  story  of  Rolf  Gargrave's 
death  had  been  utterly  wrong.  Whatever  crimes 
Dick  Bracknell  had  to  his  account  this  was  not  one 
of  them. 

"I'll  explain  why  I  asked  you  in  a  moment,"  he 
answered.  "There  is  the  second  question — yet; 
and  it  is  this,  did  you  ever  inform  any  one  of  your 
marriage  with  Joy?" 

"Yes,  one  man!  When  I  heard  that  Rolf  Gar- 
grave  was  dead,  I  wrote  to  England  and  informed 
his  legal  adviser,  Sir  Joseph  Rayner,  that  Joy  and 
I  were  husband  and  wife.  I  never  had  any  answer 

to  the  let But  what's  the  matter,  man? 

You  look  as  if  you  had  seen  a  ghost!  What  is  it?" 

There  was  a  look  of  startled  amazement  on  the 
corporal's  face.  He  was  staring  at  his  cousin  as 
if  what  the  latter  had  said  was  a  revelation  to  him, 
as  indeed  it  was.  A  dark  suspicion  had  leapt  in 

[195] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

his  mind,  a  suspicion  that  seemed  almost  incredible, 
but  which  persisted  and  would  not  be  thrust  aside. 
If  Sir  Joseph  Rayner  knew,  then  in  all  probability 
his  son  also  knew,  and  yet  having  that  knowledge 
he  had  suggested  that  the  relation  between  himself 
and  Joy  was  such  as  justified  his  confessed  aspira- 
tion of  making  her  his  wife.  Had  he  been  respon- 
sible for  that  second  shot  at  North  Star?  Or 


Dick  Bracknell's  voice  broke  in  again  quer- 
ulously. 

"What's  got  you,  Roger!     Spit  it  out!" 

"I  can't  at  present,"  replied  the  corporal  slowly. 
"You've  given  me  news  that  I  must  think  over  be- 
fore I  talk.  But  there  is  one  thing  that  I  can  tell 
you,  and  that  is  that  Rolf  Gargrave  did  not  die  by 
a  mere  accident.  The  trail  he  was  following  was 
sound  enough,  but  the  ice  was  blown  up  by  dyna- 
mite. It  froze  over  again  in  the  night,  and  as  I 
gather  there  was  a  little  snow,  he  went  on  to  the 
thin  ice  without  suspicion,  and  went  through. 
That's  the  story  as  I've  recently  heard  it;  and  I'm 
on  the  trail  of  the  man  who  plotted  the  infernal 
thing,  now." 

The  sick  man  pursed  his  lips  to  whistle,  but  no 
sound  came  from  them.  Then  he  remarked,  with 
a  little  laugh  of  bitterness,  "So  that's  why  you 
asked  if  I  knew  anything  of  my  father-in-law's 
death,  is  it?" 

"It  was  just  a  suspicion  that  occurred  to  me," 
explained  the  corporal  apologetically.  "When  I 
heard  the  story  I  wondered  who  would  benefit  by 
Gargrave's  death,  and  as  you  had  just  married  Joy, 

[196] 


A  LONELY  CABIN 

and  had  fled  here  from  England,  it  was  a  natural 
suspicion " 

"I  must  have  got  pretty  low  down  for  it  to  be 
natural  to  suspect  me  of  an  infernal  crime  of  that 
sort,"  was  the  other's  bitter  comment.  "But  who 
do  you  suspect  now?" 

"I  don't  know!  As  I  told  you,  I'm  after  the 
man.  The  trail's  a  week  old,  but  I'll  find  him  even 
if  I  follow  him  to  the  rim  of  the  Polar  sea." 

"I  hope  to  heaven  you'll  get  him,  and  that  he'll 
swing  at  Regina  for  that  job.  I  wonder  if  the 
same  man  had  anything  to  do  with  poisoning  the 
dog  food." 

"I  am  wondering  that  also!"  replied  the  cor- 
poral thoughtfully. 

"Any  idea  of  the  fellow?" 

"Just  a  suspicion,  nothing  more.  Not  enough 
to  presume  upon — yet!" 

"He  must  have  a  mind  that  is  diabolic." 

"So  it  would  seem!"  replied  the  corporal,  and 
after  a  little  time  his  cousin  spoke  again. 

"Many  a  time  while  I  have  sat  here  wheezing 
and  coughing,  I  have  cursed  you  from  my  heart, 
but  now  I  could  pray  that  you  come  up  with  that 
man,  and  make  him  pay  for  it  all.  If  I  were  sure 
you'd  get  him  I  could  go  cheerfully  to  my  ap- 
pointed place  in  the  pit." 

"I  shall  get  him,"  answered  the  corporal  with 
conviction.  "The  Indian  who  is  with  me  was  with 
him  when  he  arranged  for  Gargrave's  death,  and 
if  my  suspicions  have  any  bottom  in  them,  then  1 
know  him  myself." 

"You'll  push  on  in  the  morning,  of  course." 

[197] 


fTHE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Before  daylight!  And  I  shall  come  up  with 
the  man,  never  fear.  He's  travelling  fast,  but  he's 
looking  for  some  thing  or  some  one,  the  latter,  I 
think,  and " 

"Who  do  you  suppose  he's  looking  for?" 

"Well,  if  he's  the  man  I  suspect,  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  he  were  looking  for  you." 

"Forme!     What  in  thunder  for?" 

"To  finish  what  he  began  that  night  when  you 
were  shot  at  North  Star  I" 

"Great  Scott!  Do  you  mean  that  he  was  the 
man  who " 

"It  seems  to  me  to  be  more  than  likely.  He  is 
the  man  round  whom  all  these  mysteries  seem,  to 
centre." 

"What  is  the  blighter?"  asked  the  other  quickly. 

"That  I  must  keep  to  mJyself  for  a  little  time. 

I  may  be  mistaken,  you  know.     But  if  I  am  not 
» 

"You'll  let  me  know?  You'll  give  me  the  satis- 
faction of  knowing  that  the  fellow  will  pay  for 
these  lungs  of  mine?"  cried  the  sick  man  eagerly. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  corporal  pityingly.  "I  will 
let  you  know." 

Half  an  hour  later  as  he  left  the  cabin  his  face 
wore  a  set  look  that  boded  ill  for  the  man  on 
whose  trail  he  followed. 


[198] 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
ADRIAN  RAYNER'S  STORY 

"  TOE,  I  thought  I  heard  the  yelping  of  dogs. 
Did  you  hear  anything?" 

\J  The  Indian  shook  his  head  and  Dick  Brack- 
nell  sank  back  on  his  improvised  couch  of  spruce, 
with  a  sigh. 

"Of  course,"  he  muttered,  "I'm  dreaming,  No, 
by  Jove!  I'm  not.  There  it  is  again.  Don't 
you  hear  it,  Joe?"  This  time  the  Indian  nodded 
and  going  to  the  door  of  the  cabin  looked  down  the 
creek.  Three  men  and  a  dog  sled  were  coming  up 
the  trail.  He  turned  and  informed'  Bracknell  of 
the  fact.  A  thoughtful  frown  came  on  the  sick 
man's  face. 

"Who  can  they  be?  Not  Roger,  certainly,  for 
it  is  but  two  days  since  he  was  here,  and  he  had 

but  one  man  with  him.  Perhaps "  Then  as 

a  thought  struck  him  he  broke  off  and  cried  excit- 
edly, "I  say,  Joe,  does  one  of  the  men  look  at  all 
like  a  prisoner?" 

The  Indian  shook  his  head. 

"That's  a  pity,"  commented  his  master.  "I  had 
a  wild  hope  that  Roger  might  have  overtaken  the 
man.  Anyway  we  shall  know  who  they  are  in  a 
few  minutes,  and  patience  is  a  virtue  that  I've 
plenty  of  opportunity  for  practising  just  now." 

[199] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Laboriously  he  rose  from  his  couch  and  seated 
himself  near  the  fire.  The  effort  brought  on  a  fit 
of  coughing,  which  was  still  shaking  him,  when  a 
•whipstock  rapped  upon  the  door.  His  servant 
opened  it,  and  a  white  man  entered,  and  stood  for 
a  moment  watching  Bracknell  as  he  coughed  and 
groaned.  Then  suddenly  an  alert  look  came  in 
his  face  and  for  one  instant  into  his  eyes  there  came 
a  flicker  of  recognition.  He  waited  until  the 
paroxysm  had  passed,  then  in  a  voice  that  had  in 
it  a  note  of  sympathy  he  spoke — 

"You  seem  in  a  bad  way,  friend." 

The  voice  of  a  cultured  man,  as  Bracknell  in- 
stantly noted,  and  as  he  wiped  his  eyes  the  sick  man 
looked  sharply  at  the  new-comer. 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  "and  so  would  you  be  if  you'd 
had  your  lungs  frozen." 

"Is  it  as  bad  as  that?"  asked  the  other  in  a  voice 
that  was  still  sympathetic. 

"It  is,  and  worse!  I've  got  scurvy  too.  I 
suppose  you  haven't  such  a  thing  as  a  potato  with 
you?" 

The  stranger  smiled.  "As  it  happens  I  have. 
I  never  travel  without  in  winter,  because,  as  you 
seem  to  know,  a  raw  potato  is  better  than  lime 
juice  for  scurvy,  and  a  sight  handier  to  carry.  I 
shall  be  happy  to  oblige  you." 

He  went  to  the  door  of  the  cabin  and  called  an 
order  to  the  men  outside.  A  few  moments  later 
an  Indian  entered  bringing  with  him  seven  or  eight 
potatoes.  Bracknell  instantly  seized  one,  and 
taking  out  a  clasp  knife  began  to  cut  thin  slices 
of  the  tuber,  and  to  eat  regardless  of  everything 

[200] 


ADRIAN  RAYNER'S  STORY 

but  the  one  fact  that  here  was  salvation  from  one 
of  the  diseases  which  afflicted  him.  He  chewed 
methodically,  without  speaking,  and  Adrian  Ray- 
ner,  for  he  was  the  arrival,  watched  him  with 
curious  eyes,  reflecting  on  the  irony  of  the  situation 
which  made  the  heir  of  an  ancient  estate  glad  to 
eat  raw  potato;  for  though  he  himself  remained 
incognito,  he  had  already  recognized  Dick  Brack- 
nell. 

"I'd  go  slow  if  I  were  you,"  he  said  warningly, 
as  having  finished  one  tuber,  the  sick  man  stretched 
his  hand  for  another.  "You  had  better  not 
overdo  it.  A  little  every  day  is  better  than  a  glut; 
and,  of  course,  my  stock  is  limited." 

Dick  Bracknell  laughed  weakly.  "You're  right, 
of  course.  But  if  you  knew  what  I  suffer  you'd 
understand  the  impulse  to  stuff  oneself!  I'll  go 
slow,  as  you  advise,  and  perhaps  I  shall  get  quit  of 
one  disease  at  any  rate,  though  the  other  will  get 
rid  of  me  as  sure  as  a  gun." 

"You  think  so?"  asked  Rayner,  with  an  eager 
interest  which  Bracknell  failed  to  note. 

"Sure  of  it!  I've  seen  other  men  this  way — 
'and  there  was  always  a  funeral  at  the  end  of  it; 
though  not  always  a  burial  service.  Parsons  are 
scarce  up  here!" 

"Have  you  been  long  in  the  country?"  asked 
Rayner  carelessly. 

Bracknell  looked  at  him  sharply,  as  if  suspicious 
of  so  simple  a  question,  and  then  gave  a  short 
laugh.  "I've  been  here  a  year  or  two.  And  you? 
You're  pretty  new  to  the  North,  aren't  you?" 

Rayner  laughed.     "A  regular  tenderfoot.     I've 
[201] 


been  here  before,  but  only  for  a  short  spell,  and 
this  time  I'm  straight  from  England." 

"Is  that  so?"  asked  Brackncll,  and  appraised  the 
stranger  anew.  "In  the  mining  line,  I  suppose?" 

"Nothing  half  so  profitable,"  answered  Rayner 
smilingly.  "I  am  merely  representing  a  legal  firm, 
and  have  come  out  on  a  rather  curious  mission,  one 
with  little  profit  in  it  in  fact,  and  with  even  a  possi- 
bility of  loss." 

"That's  poor  business  for  a  lawyer,"  said  Brack- 
nell  encouragingly. 

"It  is,"  agreed  Rayner,  "and  it's  not  only  that, 
but  it  is  about  the  queerest  business  that  I  ever 
struck."  He  turned  and  addressed  a  remark  to 
one  of  his  men  who  had  entered  the  cabin,  and  then 
resumed,  "It  is  quite  a  romance  in  high  life,  and 
very  interesting.  Would  you  like  to  hear  the 
story?" 

"I  was  always  fond  of  romance,"  answered 
Bracknell  with  a  laugh,  "and  as  up  here  we've  no 
penny  dreadfuls,  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  a  slice  of 
the  real  thing." 

"Oh,  it's  real  enough,"  answered  Rayner,  "and 
it's  interesting,  because  it  has  a  rich  and  young  and 
beautiful  girl  for  the  heroine." 

"Romance  always  must  have!"  commented 
Bracknell.  "Your  story,  I  can  see,  is  going  on  the 
penny  plain  and  twopenny  coloured  line!" 

"Not  quite.  It  has  deviations  and  some  orig- 
inal features.  This  girl's  father  was  immensely 
rich,  and  whilst  he  remained  in  this  country  looking 
after  his  mining  properties,  he  sent  his  daughter  to 
England  to  be  educated.  There  she  ran  against 

[202] 


the  heir  of  an  old  Westmorland  family,  and  mar- 
ried him  secretly — " 

He  broke  off  as  his  host  rose  unexpectedly  to  his 
feet.  "What  is  the  matter?"  he  asked  innocently. 
"Are  you  not  feeling  well?" 

"Just  a  spasm,"  growled  Bracknell.  "It  will 
pass  in  a  minute.  Get  on  with  your  tale." 

The  other  smiled  a  little  to  himself,  and  resumed 
his  narrative.  "As  I  was  saying,  she  married  this 
young  gentleman  secretly,  and  immediately  after 
the  marriage  separated  from  him  for  some  reason, 
and  at  the  same  time  something  else  happened, 
which  compelled  her  husband  to  leave  England  and 
to  reside  abroad.  .  .  .  Did  you  say  something?" 

"No!  It's  only  this  confounded  wheeze  of 
mine!" 

"About  the  same  time  news  reached  England 
that  the  girl's  father  had  died  in  an  accident  out 
here,  and  as  by  the  terms  of  his  will  the  daughter 
was  to  reside  for  three  years  in  the  home  he  had 
built  in  the  woods  here,  she  returned  to  the  Domin- 
ion without  having  said  anything  about  the  mar- 
riage to  her  uncle  and  guardian,  the  well-known 
solicitor  Sir  Joseph  Rayner,  of  whom  you  perhaps 
have  heard?" 

"Yes,  I've  heard  of  him!  Go  on,  man.  Your 
story  is  very  interesting." 

"Fortunately  Sir  Joseph  was  not  left  in  ignorance 
of  the  marriage,  for  the  girl's  husband  wrote  and 
informed  him  of  it.  Sir  Joseph  was  astonished; 
but  he  kept  the  news  to  himself,  because  the 
husband,  though  of  good  family,  had  done  some- 
thing that  was — er — scarcely  creditable.  He  did 

[203] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

riot  even  inform  the  girl  of  the  information  which 
had  reached  him,  hoping  that  time  would  solve 
what  appeared  to  be  a  difficult  situation." 

"And  hasn't  it?" 

"No,  sir.  Time  may  solve  many  things,  but  the 
policy  of  laissez-faire,  whilst  sometimes  a  good 
one,  is  not  without  its  dangers!  This  happens  to 
be  one  of  the  cases  where  the  dangers  predominate, 
and  time  has  but  brought  a  new  complication." 

"What  is  that?"   asked  Bracknell  sharply. 

"Well,  the  girl  is  thinking  of  marrying  again." 

"God  in  heaven!"  Dick  Bracknell  had  stag- 
gered to  his  feet.  His  eyes  were  burning  and 
there  was  a  ghastly  pallor  on  his  haggard  face. 
He  glared  at  the  narrator  as  if  he  could  slay  him. 
"Man,  do  you  know  what  you  are  saying?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Rayner,  with  well-affected  sur- 
prise. "I  am  saying  that  in  her  inexperience  this 
girl-wife  is  thinking  of  contracting  a  flesh  mar- 
riage, one  in  which  her  heart  is  engaged,  as  it 
appears  not  to  have  been  in  the  first.  Of  course 
she  may  not  understand  the  law  as  it  relates  to 
bigamy,  or  she  may  believe  that  her  husband  is 
dead " 

"Who  is  the  man?"  asked  Bracknell,  in  a  stran- 
gled voice. 

"The  man?  I  do  not  understand.  Do  you 
mean  the  husband?" 

"No,  the  man  whom  she  is  thinking  of  marry- 
ing?" 

"Oh,  I  see.  Well,  that's  the  curious  part  of  the 
whole  business,  for  this  new  lover  is  the  cousin  of 
her  husband,  one  time  a  barrister,  but  now  out  here 

[204] 


ADRIAN  RAYNER'S  STORY 

in  the  Mounted  Police.  What  did  you  say?  A 
strange  story.  Yes,  it  is  that;  but  there  is  one 
piquant  detail  that  you  have  not  yet  heard,  sir!" 

"What  is  that?" 

"Well,  it  is  this,  the  husband,  as  I  informed  you, 
is  the  heir  to  an  old  estate  in  Westmorland.  He 
had  a  younger  brother  who  since  the  elder's  disap- 
pearance had  slipped  into  the  position  of  heir — at 
least  people  had  come  to  look  upon  him  as  such, 
it  being  fairly  well  known  that  the  elder  could  not 
return  to  claim  the  succession.  This  younger  son 
is  dead " 

"Dead!"  The  word  came  in  a  gasp  from  Dick 
Bracknell's  lips,  and  immediately  after  he  was 
taken  with  a  fit  of  coughing  which  lasted  for  some 
little  time,  and  left  him  exhausted  with  his  face 
hidden  in  his  hands. 

"Your  cough  is  very  bad,  sir,"  said  Rayner  with 
affected  sympathy.  "Are  you  sure  that  you  wish 
me  to  continue  the  narrative?" 

Bracknell  lifted  a  tortured  face,  and  in  his  deep- 
sunk  eyes  there  was(  a  moisture  that  was  more 
than  suspicious.  "Yes,"  he  said  hoarsely.  "Go 
on!" 

"As  you  wish,"  replied  Rayner  with  affected 
solicitude,  and  then  continued,  "As  I  was  saying, 
this  younger  son  is  dead " 

"How  did  he  die?"  interrupted  Bracknell. 

"Something  went  wrong  with  his  gun  when  he 
was  out  grouse  shooting.  It  burst,  I  believe,  any- 
how it  killed  him,  and  by  his  death,  failing  the  suc- 
cession of  the  older  son,  the  cousin  becomes  the 
heir,  and  you  have  the  rather  unique  situation  of 

[205] 


[THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

the  cousin  stepping  into  the  shoes  of  the  heir  and 
the  husband  at  one  and  the  same  time.  Quite  a 
little  drama  in  its  way,  is  it  not;?" 

Dick  Bracknell's  reply  to  the  question  was  an 
inarticulate  one,  and  afterwards  for  a  little  time  he 
stared  into  the  fire  with  eyes  that  looked  almost 
ferocious.  Then  he  asked  abruptly,  "How  do  you 
know  all  this?" 

"As  I  explained,  I  am  the  representative  of  the 
firm  of  Sir  Joseph  Rayner  and  Son,  and  I  have  been 
sent  out  to  find  the  girl  wife " 

"To  find  J— er— the  girl?" 

"Yes!  she  left  England  very  suddenly  a  fe'w 
weeks  ago  without  informing  Sir  Joseph.  She,  as 
we  have  ascertained,  came  to  the  Dominion,  and 
my  principal  suspecting  that  she  was  going  to 
marry  the  man  I  have  mentioned,  sent  me  to  inter- 
vene. Two  courses  are  open  for  me  to  follow, 
either  to  find  the  young  lady,  and  explain  to  the 
former  that  in  the  absence  of  proof  of  her  hus- 
band's death  such  a  marriage  is  of  more  than 
doubtful  legality;  or  to  find  the  policeman  and 
point  out  that  the  young  lady  is  already  a  wife." 

"But  he — but  what  if  he  already  knows?" 

"Then  in  that  case  I  shall  be  called  upon  to  ex- 
plain the  law  to  him  also!  But  so  far  I  have 
accomplished  none  of  these  things.  The  police- 
man^ as  I  learned  at  Regina,  is  missing;  and  when 
I  arrived  there  the  young  lady  had  already  left  her 
home  up  here  for  an  unknown  destination.  .  .  . 
I  do  not  know,  of  course,  but  I  have  my  suspicions 
as  to  who  may  be  awaiting  her  at  that  destination." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

[206] 


"Well,  sir,  you  appear  to  be  a  man  of  education, 
and  you  will  remember  that  the  great  Antony 
thought  the  world  well  lost  for  love,  and  what 
Cleopatra  thought,  her  actions  proved.  Human 
nature  does  not  change,  and  love  is  the  strongest 
passion  it  knows,  and  I  suspect  that  her  lover  being 
missing,  the  young  lady  has  gone  to  look  for  him, 
or  if  not  that  to  meet  him  at  some  appointed  ren- 
dezvous!. The  two  are  young,  between  them  they 
will  be  fabulously  rich  and  they  will  not  be  the  first 
pair  of  lovers  to  set  the  world  and  the  world's 
conventions  at  defiance.  At  least  they  will  be  able 
to  afford  it!" 

"Never!  by never!" 

The  words  came  from  the  sick  man's  lips  explo- 
sively. He  rose  from  his  seat,  and  gripped  Ray- 
ner's  shoulder  in  a  way  that  made  him  grimace  with 
pain. 

"Man,"  he  cried,  "are  you  telling  me  the 
truth?" 

"Certainly,  sir!     Why " 

"Do  you  know  who  I  am?" 

Bracknell's  eyes,  full  of  wild  light,  glared  down 
into  Rayner's  but  the  latter,  as  he  lied,  met  them 
unflinchingly. 

"I  do  not,  sir!     We  have  not  exchanged — — " 

"My  name  is  Bracknell — Dick  Bracknell;  and  I 
can  guess  it  is  my  wife  and  my  cousin  of  whom  you 
have  been  talking.  By — — if  I  had  him  here.  And 
to  think  that  two  days  ago  he  was  here,  and  that  I 
let  him  go." 

"He  was  here  two  days  ago?" 

"Two  days  ago— and  I  let  him  go  because  he 
[207] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

pitched  a  cock  and  bull  story  which  I  believed! 
And  I  might  have  known  all  the  time  that  it  was  so 
much  bunkum,  just  a  yarn  to  get  out  of  my  hands. 
I  ought  to  have  killed  him  as  he  tried  to  kill  me  by 
poisoning  my  dogs.  I  remember  now  that  once 
before  when  we  met,  he  showed  a  tenderness  for 
Joy  that  was  more  than  natural  in  a  mere  cousin  by 
marriage.  He  suggested  to  me  that  I  should 
make  reparations  to  my  wife  by  allowing  her  to 
divorce  me !" 

"That  was  a  very  crafty  suggestion  on  his  parti" 
broke  in  Rayner  suavely.  "It  would  have  cleared 
his  own  way  to  your  wife!" 

The  sick  man  was  stung  to  madness  at  the 
thought.  His  eyes  burned  and  his  face  grew  con- 
vulsed. "Reparation!"  he  cried  hoarsely  in  jeal- 
ous rage.  "Reparation!  The  viper!  If  ever  I 

put  eyes  on  him  again,  I  will "  he  broke  off  as  a 

fit  of  coughing  took  him,  and  when  it  was  over  he 
dropped  to  his  seat  utterly  exhausted,  gasping  pain- 
fully for  breath. 

The  man  whose  lying  story  had  brought  on  this 
attack,  watched  him  unmoved,  and  calculated  cyn- 
ically whether  Bracknell's  own  estimate  of  the 
span  of  life  remaining  to  him  was  correct;  then  he 
said,  "I  am  very  sorry  for  you,  Mr.  Bracknell,  but 
I  cannot  allow  private  wrongs  to  interfere  with  my 
own  mission.  You  say  that  your  cousin  was  here 
two  days  ago;  perhaps  you  can  tell  me  which  way 
he  was  travelling?" 

"He  was  going  up  the  river — to  meet  Joy  as  like 
as  not!" 

"Then  I  shall  follow!     Perhaps  I  shall  meet  the 
[208] 


ADRIAN  RAYNER'S  STORY 

lady;  if  so,  I  shall  be  able  to  assure  her  that  the 
marriage  she  is  contemplating  is  quite  out  of  the 
question." 

"Say'  nothing  to  the  man  about  my  threats,  if  you 
find  him,"  said  Bracknell,  rousing  himself.  "Say 
I've  news  for  him,  that  I  want  to  see  him;  as  by 

I  do !  Tell  him  what  you  like,  but  get  him  to 

come  back  here." 

"I  will  do  my  best,  sir!" 

"If  I'd  dogs,  sick  though  I  am,  I'd  follow  him 
myself.  But  that's  out  of  the  question.  I  shall 
rely  on  you  to — ; — " 

"You  may,  sir,"  broke  in  Rayner  obsequiously. 
"If  I  find  him,  I  will  certainly  induce  him  to  come 
back  to  you,  if  I  can.  But  I  hope  you  will  not  be 
violent " 

"Violent!  Bring  him  here,"  Bracknell  laughed 
almost  deliriously,  "and  you  will  see." 

In  the  morning  when  Adrian  Rayner  took  the 
trail,  he  looked  back  at  the  haggard  man  standing 
by  the  cabin  door.  Bracknell  had  been  delirious 
in  the  night,  and  now  as  he  stood  there  swaying, 
the  other  looked  at  him  without  pity. 

"Booked!"  he  muttered  to  himself,  "and  knows 
it.  If  Roger  Bracknell  should  happen  to  return 
here,  Harrow  Fell  will  require  a  new  heir,  and  I 
shall  be  saved  from  a  disagreeable  necessity.  But 
that  chance  is  not  to  be  depended  on.  I  must  find 
him  if  I  can." 

And  as  he  followed  the  Northward  trail  there 
was  the  index  of  grim  purpose  in  his  face. 

[209] 


CHAPTER  XIX 
HUSBAND  AND  WIFE 

IT  was  the  end  of  the  day,  and  Joy  Gargrave, 
kneeling   down   on   a   litter   of   young   spruce 
boughs,    in    the    shadow    of    a    wind    screen, 
stretched    her   mittened    hands    towards    the    fire. 
Then  she  removed  her  face  mask  and  looked  at  her 
foster-sister,   who   having   changed  her  moccasins 
was  placing  the  pair  she  had  worn  through  the  day 
near  the  fire  where  they  would  dry  slowly. 

"Tired,  Babette?" 

"Not  more  than  ordinary,"  was  the  reply, 
"though  I  will  own  to  having  found  those  last  two 
miles  against  the  wind  a  little  trying." 

They  had  been  travelling  for  a  week,  and  were 
growing  used  to  the  evil  of  the  trail.  Body  stiff- 
ness no  longer  troubled  them,  and  having  been  in- 
ured to  the  task  from  childhood,  the  agony  of  cramp 
brought  on  by  snow-shoe  work  was  unknown  to 
them,  the  hard  exercise  of  the  trail  inducing  no 
more  than  a  healthy  tiredness  at  the  end  of  the 
day.  Joy  stretched  herself  luxuriously  on  the 
spruce,  and  looked  round.  The  darkness  of  the 
woods  was  behind  them,  and  in  front  the  waste  of 
snow  showed  dimly.  In  the  circle  of  fire-light  the 
Indian  George  was  preparing  the  evening  meal, 
whilst  his  son  Jim  was  feeding  the  dogs.  The  girl 

[210] 


HUSBAND  AND  WIFE 

watched  them  meditatively  for  a  moment  or  two, 
then  she  spoke  to  Miss  La  Farge — 

"A  little  different  to  the  Ritz,  Babette !" 

Babette  looked  up  from  the  steaming  moccasins. 

"What  do  you  mean,  Joy?" 

Joy  waved  her  hand  in  a  half  circle.  "Why, 
everything1 — the  trees,  the  snow,  the  darkness,  the 
dogs,  the  camp-fire,  George  and  Jim,  and  you  and  I 
like  a  couple  of  Dianas." 

Babette  laughed  and  looked  round  apprecia- 
tively. "It  makes  me  think  of  a  picture  which  I 
saw  when  we  were  in  London.  It  had  a  fancy 
name — 'When  the  World  was  Young,'  or  some- 
thing like  that — and  whoever  painted  it  knew  the 
wilderness  well.  It  is,  as  you  say,  a  little  different 
to  the  Ritz — and  ever  so  much  better.  I  wonder 
how  long  we  shall  be  on  trail,  not  that  I'm  tired  of 
it.  Even  hard  work  has  its  pleasures  and  com- 
pensations." 

"I  do  not  know  how  long  we  shall  be.  I  am  con- 
tent that  we  are  on  the  right  trail.  The  strange 
Indian  with  whom  George  talked  today  told  a 
story  of  a  white  man,  an  officer  of  police,  who  had 
been  taken  to  the  winter  camp  of  his  tribe  with  a 
broken  leg.  The  leg  had  healed,  and  the  officer 
had  departed  ten  days  ago  on  the  trail  of  a  bad 
white  man,  and  he  went  Northward.  From  the 
description  given  the  officer  was  almost  certainly 
Corporal  Bracknell,  and  I  have  an  idea  that  he  may 
have  news  of  Dick  Bracknell  and  be  following  his 
trail,  in  which  case  I  pray  that  we  may  come  up  with 
him  soon;  for  if  there  was  trouble  between  them, 
and  the  Corporal  killed  his  cousin,  it  would  be  a 

[211] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

very  terrible  thing,  in  view  of  the  situation  as  re- 
gards the  succession  to  Harrow  Fell." 

"Yes,"  answered  Miss  La  Farge  slowly,  "but  it 
is  no  use  shutting  one's  eyes  to  facts.  The  death 
of  Dick  Bracknell  would  be  a  relief  to  many  people 
— yourself  included!" 

"It  would  be  no  relief  to  me  if  Dick  Bracknell 
died  by  his  cousin's  hand,"  answered  Joy  in  a  low 
voice.  "It  would  be  quite  terrible;  it  is  more  than 
I  dare  contemplate." 

"Why?"  As  Babette  La  Farge  shot  the  ques- 
tion at  her  foster-sister  she  looked  at  her  keenly, 
and  saw  a  wave  of  warm  blood  surge  over  the  beau- 
tiful face,  and  as  she  saw  it  her  own  grew  suddenly 
tender.  "No,"  she  added  hurriedly,  "don't  an- 
swer the  question,  Joy.  There  is  no  need.  I  can 
guess  the  answer,  which  I  am  sure  you  would  not 
give  me.  I  think  you  are  right — for  everybody's 
sake  nothing  must  happen  between  those  two  men. 
At  all  costs  that  must  be  prevented." 

She  dropped  the  moccasins,  took  a  couple  of 
steps  forward,  and  stopping,  kissed  Joy's  warm 
cheek.  "My  dear,"  she  said,  "you  must  not 
worry.  Time  will  unravel  this  dreadful  tangle, 
and  after  all  you  are  young  yet." 

Joy  looked  up  at  her  trying  bravely  to  smile,  but 
there  was  the  gleam  of  unshed  tears  in  her  eyes. 
She  was  about  to  speak,  when  the  servant  George 
announced  that  supper  was  ready,  and  she  con- 
tented herself  with  a  glance  that  was  full  of  love 
and  gratitude. 

The  next  morning,  just  before  they  broke  camp 
the  younger  Indian,  who  had  been  out  inspecting 

[212] 


HUSBAND  AND  WIFE 

the  trail,  returned  with  news.  He  had  been  a 
little  way  up  the  river  and  had  encountered  a 
strange  Indian  in  the  act  of  taking  a  marten  from  a 
trap.  He  had  talked  with  this  man,  and  when  the 
latter  had  heard  who  his  mistress  was  he  had  be- 
trayed considerable  excitement,  and  had  asked  him 
to  wait  for  him  a  little  time,  as  he  might  have  a 
message  for  his  mistress.  He  had  gone  away,  and 
a  little  later  had  returned  and  had  then  told  Jim 
that  his  master — a  white  man — was  lying  sick  in  a 
cabin  on  a  creek  a  little  way  up  the  river,  and  that 
he  earnestly  desired  that  Miss  Gargrave  would  go 
and  speak  with  him. 

"Did  he  give  his  master's  name?"  asked  Joy,  as 
a  quick  hope  awoke  within  her. 

"No,  Miss,  but  he  hav'  yours;  he  say  you  know 
hirrt.  And  I  wonder  if  he  is  the  man  we  seek." 

Joy  also  wondered,  wondered  and  hoped,  and 
after  consideration  she  nodded  her  head.  "Yes,  I 
will  go  and  see  this  man.  He  may  be  Corporal 
Bracknell,  or  he  may  have  seen  him  recently.  In 
any  case  it  is  a  Christian  charity  to  visit  any 
stricken  white  man  in  this  desolate  bush,  and  it  will 
mean  only  a  short  delay.  Where  is  the  creek, 
Jim?" 

"Up  the  river  a  little  way,  miss.  The  man  he 
waits  at  the  point  where  it  joins  the  river." 

"Then  Miss  La  Farge  and  I  will  go  on  ahead, 
and  you  can  come  on  behind,  and  if  you  do  not 
overtake  us,  you  can  await  us  at  the  mouth  of  the 
creek." 

The  two  girls  started  off,  and  presently  reached 
the  creek,  where  stamping  his  feet  in  the  snow, 

[213] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Dick  BracknelPs  man,  Joe,  awaited  them.  Both 
of  them  glanced  at  him  keenly,  but  he  was  a 
stranger  to  them,  and  then  Joy  addressed  him. 

"Your  master,  where  is  he?" 

The  Indian  pointed  up  the  creek.  "Him  sick 
man,  I  take  you  to  him !" 

Without  waiting  for  further  words  the  man 
turned  in  his  tracks  and  swung  up  the  creek  at  such 
a  pace  that  the  two  girls  had  hard  work  to  keep  up 
with  him.  Joy  questioned  the  man  as  to  his  mas- 
ter's name,  but  the  man  either  did  not  or  would  not 
understand,  for  he  merely  shook  his  head,  and 
pressed  forward.  In  a  few  minutes  they  reached 
the  little  cabin  at  the  edge  of  the  trees,  and  main- 
taining a  wooden  face,  the  Indian  swung  the  door 
open  and  motioned  them  to  enter. 

Joy  pressed  forward  eagerly  with  her  foster- 
sister  at  her  heels.  The  Indian  softly  closed  the 
door  behind  them,  an  evil  smile  wrinkling  his 
scarred  face,  then  going  to  the  rear  of  the  hut,  a 
moment  later  he  appeared  with  a  bow  and  some 
arrows  in  his  hand,  and  entering  the  shadow  of  the 
trees,  he  began  to  walk  towards  the  mouth  of  the 
creek. 

...  As  she  entered  the  cabin  Joy  Gargrave 
looked  quickly  about  her.  The  only  light  came 
through  a  parchment  window  and  from  the  impro- 
vised stove,  and  in  the  semi-darkness,  at  first,  she 
could  see  nothing.  But  after  a  moment  she  dis- 
cerned a  tall  figure  standing  but  a  little  way  from 
her.  The  face  was  in  shadow,  and  she  could  not 
make  out  the  features,  but  as  her  eyes  fell  on  him, 
the  man  gave  vent  to  a  thin,  choking  laugh. 

[214] 


HUSBAND  AND  WIFE 

"Good  morning,  my  dear  Joy!  This  is  an  un- 
expected pleasure!" 

At  the  sound  of  the  voice  Joy  started,  and  with 
a  dawning  fear  in  her  eyes  leaned  forward  and 
stared  into  the  haggard  face  before  her.  As  she 
did  so,  her  fear  increased,  and  she  asked  suddenly, 
"Who  are  you,  that  you  should  address  me  in  that 
way?" 

"Then  you  do  not  recognize  me?"  asked  the 
voice  mockingly.  "I  am  not  surprised.  Time  has 
wrought  inevitable  changes — but  of  course,  it  does 
not  change  the  constant  heart.  Look  again,  my 
dear,  and  you  will  see " 

Overwhelming  fear  surged  in  the  girl's  heart. 
She  knew  who  this  haggard  man  was;  indeed,  she 
had  known  from  the  first  word  that  he  had  spoken, 
and  now  she  turned  abruptly  towards  the  door  as  if 
to  flee.  The  door  was  closed,  and  as  she  stretched 
a  hand  towards  the  wooden  latch,  the  thin  cackling 
laugh  broke  out  again. 

"The  door  is  fastened,  my  dear  Joy — on  the 
outside.  I  remember  how  you  ran  from  me  at 
Alcombe,  and  when  I  arranged  this  joyous  meet- 
ing, I  foresaw  that  you  might  be  startled,  that  you 
might  try  to-  repeat  that  old  folly;  therefore  I 
took  steps — and  my  man  Joe  keeps  the  door  out- 
side. But  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  dear  wife,  most 
unfeignedly  glad  to  see  you,  and  there  is  no  need 
that  you  should  hurry  away;  indeed,  I  am  afraid 
that  until  I  give  permission  for  you  to  go,  you  will 
have  to  remain  here." 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  Joy,  striving  in 
vain  to  keep  her  voice  steady* 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"What  do  I  want?"  there  was  an  accent  of  mock 
surprise  in  Dick  Bracknell's  voice  as  he  echoed  the 
question,  and  then  he  laughed  again  in  a  way  that 
made  the  girl  shiver.  4'What  a  question  to  ask  a 
husband  who  has  not  seen  his  wife  since  his  mar- 
riage morning!  Really,  my  dear,  such  a  question 
ought  to  be  quite  unnecessary." 

He  broke  off  as  his  cough  took  him,  and  for 
perhaps  half  a  minute  he  was  shaken  by  it,  and 
could  not  speak.  When  he  resumed  it  was  in  a 
different  tone. 

"Sit  down,"  he  said,  "I  want  to  talk  to  you, 
and  there  is  no  need  that  you  stand  on  ceremony 
in  your  husband's  house.  I  regret  the  scarcity  of 
chairs,  but  there  is  a  log  by  the  fire  there — and  if 
you  will  accept  the  advice  of  an  expert  you  will 
throw  off  your  furs.  .  .  .  You  won't?  Well,  self- 
will  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of  your  sex,  and  no 
doubt  you  will  please  yourself.  But  all  the  same 
allow  me  to  express  my  gratitude  to  you  that  you 
should  have  left  your  home  in  mid-winter  to  come 
and  look  for  me.  Such  solicitude  is  beyond  what  I 
had  ex " 

"I  was  not  looking  for  you,"  Joy  broke  in. 
"You  are  the  last  person  I  was  expecting  to  meet!" 

"Is  that  so?"  The  mockery  had  gone  out  of 
Bracknell's  voice  now,  and  there  was  a  dangerous 
ring  in  it.  The  eyes  in  the  haggard  face  were  blaz- 
ing, and  to  both  the  girls  it  was  clear  that  he  had 
much  ado  to  keep  himself  in  hand.  "You  dare  to 
tell  me  that — me,  your  lawful  husband?  Perhaps 
you  will  tell  me  for  whom  you  did  leave  your 

[216] 


HUSBAND  AND  WIFE 

home  tKen?     Whom  you  were  following  and  seek- 
ing on  a  winter  trail?" 

Joy  felt  her  face  flush  suddenly.  Could  she  tell 
him?  she  asked  herself,  and  immediately  her  mind 
answered  "No!"  In  the  wild  mood  that  was  on 
him  Dick  Bracknell  would  be  sure  to  put  a  false 
interpretation  on  any  explanation  that  she  might 
offer  him.  Realizing  this  she  was  silent,  and  a 
moment  later  he  broke  out  again,  wrathfully — 

"You  won't  tell  me?  You're  ashamed  to  tell 
me,  I  suppose.  But  accept  my  assurances  that 
there  is  no  need'.  I  already  know.  My  cousin 
Roger  is  the  favoured  man,  is  he  not?  You  start 
at  that!  Then  it  is  all  true  what  I  have  heard, 
that  not  only  is  he  to  supplant  me  at  Harrow  Fell, 
but  in  my  wife's  affections  also?  Well,  that  is  not 
going  to  happen.  I  will  have  Harrow  Fell  and 
you  also — and  you  first,  my  Joy,  for  there  shall 
be  no  cuckoo  in  my  nest.  .  .  .  Yes,  I  will  have 
Harrow  Fell.  I  can  face  five  years  at  Portland  or 
at  Parkhurst  for  that.  But  first,  I  will  have  you. 
You  are  here,  in  your  husband's  house,  where  you 
have  come  of  your  own  accord,  and  here  you  re- 
main. Take  off  your  furs!" 

To  Joy  it  was  clear  that  Dick  Bracknell  was  al- 
most insanely  jealous,  and  her  face  blanched  as  the 
possibilities  of  the  situation  flashed  themselves 
upon  her.  The  man  took  a  step  forward  as  if  to 
enforce  his  order,  and  she  shrank  back  against  the 
rough  logs  of  the  shack.  Bracknell  laughed  sav- 
agely, but  the  next  moment  there  came  an  inter- 
vention. 

[217] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Stand  back,  Mr.  Bracknell!" 

The  speaker  was  Miss  La  Farge,  and  as  she 
stepped  resolutely  forward,  holding  a  small  but 
serviceable  looking  machine  pistol  in  her  hand, 
Dick  Bracknell  came  to  a  standstill. 

"What " 

"Do  as  I  tell  you.  Lay  a  finger  on  Joy,  and  I 
will  shoot  you.  She  may  be  your  wife,  but  she  is 
my  more-than-sister,  and  I  will  brook  no  violence 
from  you." 

Bracknell  looked  at  her  irresolutely.  It  was  very 
clear  to  him  that  she  would  keep  her  word,  and 
after  a  moment  he  stepped  back  and  laughed  to 
cover  his  discomfiture. 

"A  she-lynx — and  with  claws !  Well,  time  is  on 
my  side.  You  will  grow  tired  of  standing  there, 
and  Joe  will  be  back  in  a  minute  or  two,  then  I 
shall  know  how  to  deal  with  you." 

Babette  did  not  even  reply  to  him.  She  glanced 
at  the  door  and  addressed  herself  to  Joy. 

"Try  and  open  the  door,  Joy." 

Joy  sprang  to  the  door,  and  lifting  the  wooden 
latch  tugged  hard  at  the  door.  Dick  Bracknell 
watched  her  with  amused  eyes,  and  when  all  her 
efforts  failed,  he  spoke  again. 

"It  is  no  use,  my  dear  Joy.  The  door  is  fas- 
tened on  the  outside.  We  are  all  prisoners  until 
Joe  returns." 

"No !"  replied  Miss  La  Farge  stubbornly.  "Not 
until  then.  Our  men  will  be  here  in  a  few 
minutes  if  we  do  not  meet  them  at  the  mouth  of 
the  creek.  Then " 

A  sharp  cry  of  agony  sounded  somewhere  out- 

[218] 


HUSBAND  AND  WIFE 

side,  and  as  it  reached  them,  the  girl's  speech  sud- 
denly froze. 

"What  was  that?"  asked  Joy,  looking  at 
Bracknell. 

A  deep  frown  had  come  upon  his  face,  and  there 
was  apprehension  in  his  voice  as  he  replied,  "I — I 
do  not  know.  Some  one  may  have  been  hurt. 
I " 

He  was  still  speaking,  haltingly,  when  the  crash 
of  a  rifle  broke  on  his  words,  followed  by  a  shout, 
and  that  in  turn  by  a  great  stillness.  The  three 
people  in  the  shack  looked  at  one  another  helplessly. 

The  girls'  faces  were  white,  and  Bracknell's  fea- 
tures showed  wrathful.  In  silence  they  waited 
and  nothing  further  happened.  Half  an  hour 
passed,  during  which  the  girls  whispered  to  each 
other,  and  still  the  silence  outside  was  maintained, 
and  to  those  in  the  cabin  it  seemed  to  hold  a  menace 
of  mysterious  things.  Another  half  hour  crept 
by,  and  then  Bracknell  spoke  hoarsely — 

"Something  must  have  happened,  or  the  Indian 
would  have  been  back  before  this.  And  your  men 
— you  said  they  were  to  meet  you  at  the  mouth  of 
the  creek!" 

"Yes,"  answered  Joy  composedly.  "And  no 
doubt  they  are  waiting  there  now." 

"I  am  afraid  not,"  answered  her  husband. 
"Something  has  occurred — what,  we  must  find 
out!"  He  glanced  at  the  window  of  skin  parch- 
ment, then  added,  "That  is  the  only  way.  We 
must  cut  that  out.  One  of  us  must  climb  through 
and  open  the  door " 

"Joy  shall  go!"  said  Miss  La  Farge  firmly. 
[219] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"It  doesn't  matter  who  goes !  This  is  a  business 
of  life  and  death.  There  is  an  axe  in  the  corner 
there.  If  one  of  you  will  use  it,  I  shall  be 
obliged.  I  am  afraid  that  the  state  of  my  lungs 
does  not  permit  much  exertion  on  my  part." 

Babette  looked  at  Joy,  who,  finding  the  ax, 
attacked  the  window,  and  a  moment  later  the 
freezing  air  drove  into  the  cabin.  When  the 
rough  frame  was  quite  clear  the  man  nodded  at 
her.  His  manner  was  now  very  quiet  and  betrayed 
nothing  of  the  jealous  rage  which  had  possessed  him 
an  hour  ago. 

"Go  through,  Joy.  Take  the  axe  with  you. 
You  may  need  it  to  knock  out  the  staple.  Have 
no  fear,"  he  said  as  she  visibly  hesitated.  "I  give 
you  my  word  that  this  is  no  trap.  Believe  me,  I 
am  very  anxious  for  the  safety  of  all  of  us." 

Joy  glanced  once  at  him.  It  was  plain  to  her 
that  he  was  sincere,  and  two  seconds  later  she 
climbed  to  the  window  and  dropped  down  into  the 
snow.  A  minute  later  the  door  swung  open,  and 
she  was  joined  by  Babette  and  Dick  Bracknell.  All 
three  stood  there  looking  down  the  creek.  No 
sound  reached  them.  Everywhere  was  the  apal- 
ling  inscrutable  silence  of  the  Northern  wilderness. 


[220] 


CHAPTER  XX 
DICK  BRACKNELL  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 

**"W  "IT  TE  must  find  out  what  has  happened!" 
%^k/     said  Joy,  looking  at  Bracknell. 

T  T  "Yes,"  he  said  slowly,  "but  you  must 
not  go  alone.  If  you  will  wait  a  moment  I  will 
accompany  you." 

"But  your   cough "   Joy  began,   a   tone   of 

solicitude  in  her  voice. 

"My  cough!"  Dick  Bracknell  laughed  bitterly. 
"That  is  nothing  to  what  may  lie  before  us,  and 
in  any  case  it  is  not  safe  for  you  to  go  alone." 

Something  in  his  voice  and  manner  convinced 
her  that  he  was  not  speaking  idly,  and  that  he  had 
his  own  reasons  for  apprehension. 

"Very  well,"  she  said,  "we  will  wait  for  you. 
We  will  go  down  the  creek  together." 

He  turned  back  into  the  hut,  and  the  two  girls 
looked  at  each  other.  They  were  used  to  the  still- 
ness of  the  forest,  but  somehow  the  silence  that 
prevailed  seemed  ominous  of  fateful  things.  Both 
of  them  were  conscious  of  vague  forebodings,  and 
as  Babette  looked  at  her  foster-sister,  and  saw  the 
light  of  apprehension  in  her  eyes,  she  whispered, 
"What  do  you  think,  Joy?  What  do  you  think  has 
happened?" 

"I  do  not  know,  but  I  feel  that  it  is  something 
[221] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

dreadful  and  I  am  afraid."  She  looked  towards 
the  cabin,  and  added,  "He  is  afraid  also.  You  can 
see  that!" 

"Yes!     That  is  very  clear." 

They  stood  waiting  until  Dick  Bracknell  ap- 
peared, and  then  without  speaking  all  three  started 
down  the  creek.  A  few  minutes  walking  brought 
them  in  sight  of  the  main  trail,  and  suddenly  Joy 
gave  a  cry,  and  pointed  ahead.  The  figure  of  a 
man  was  lying  prone  in  the  snow,  and  as  he  caught 
sight  of  it,  Dick  Bracknell  broke  into  a  feeble  run. 
For  a  moment  the  two  girls  stood  quite  still,  looking 
each  at  the  blanched  face  of  the  other,  then  they 
followed,  slowly,  the  premonition  of  tragedy  mount- 
ing in  their  hearts. 

When  they  reached  Bracknell  they  found  him 
stooping  over  the  figure,  with  a  look  of  consterna- 
tion in  his  eyes. 

"Do  you  know  him?     Is  it  your " 

"Oh!"  cried  Babette.     "It  is  George!" 

"George!     Who  is " 

"He  was  my  father's  man,  and  he  is  mine!" 
said  Joy,  staring  at  the  fallen  Indian  with  stricken 
eyes. 

"No,"  said  Dick  Bracknell  quietly,  "he  is  yours 
no  longer!  He  has  gone  to  the  happy  hunting 
grounds." 

"Dead?"  cried  Joy,  as  the  truth  broke  upon  her. 
"George  dead!  But  how?  What " 

Bracknell  looked  up  at  her,  moved  by  the 
anguish  in  her  tones,  then  he  pointed  to  what  she 
had  not  seen,  a  feathered  arrow  head,  half  hidden 
by  the  crook  of  the  arm. 

[222] 


DICK  BRACKNELL  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 

"Oh!"     she     sobbed.     "He     has    been     killed. 


"But  where  is  Jim?  Where  are  the  dogs?" 
cried  her  foster-sister.  "Both  have  been  here! 
See,  here  are  the  tracks,  and  there  goes  the  trail 
northward!" 

It  was  as  she  said,  and  as  Dick  Bracknell  looked 
down  and  read  the  signs  a  dark  look  came  on  his 
face.  Babette  looked  from  her  foster-sister,  sob- 
bing in  the  snow,  to  the  man  who  was  her  husband. 

"What  do  you  think  has  happened?"  she  asked. 

He  looked  from  her  to  Joy  commiseratingly.  "I 
can  only  guess,"  he  said  in  a  troubled  voice.  "I 
think  the  Indian  who  was  with  me  is  responsible  for 
this,  the  man  who  brought  you  to  my  shack  —  you 
know.  When  you  came  to  the  cabin  he  had  instruc- 
tions to  look  out  for  your  men  at  the  mouth  of  the 
creek.  I  —  I  am  afraid  he  exceeded  my  instructions. 
I  think  that  he  must  have  attacked  your  men  -  " 

"But  why  should  he  do  that,  if  you  did  not  tell 
him?" 

As  Joy  flung  this  question  at  him,  a  troubled  look 
came  upon  his  face. 

"I  think  he  wanted  your  dogs  and  outfit,  that  we 
might  get  away  from  here  I" 

"Our  dogs  and  outfit?" 

"Yes.  He  is  devoted  to  me,  but  twice  lately  I 
have  had  trouble  on  that  point.  Once  when  my 
cousin  Roger  Bracknell  came  -  " 

He  broke  off  suddenly  as  Joy  sprang  to  her  feet. 
"Tour  cousin  Roger  has  been  here?"  she  cried. 
"He  is  alive  then?" 

[223] 


As  she  flung  her  questions  at  him  eagerly,  impetu- 
ously, the  man's  face  clouded,  and  again  a  jealous 
light  came  in  his  eyes.  It  was  a  moment  before  he 
answered  the  questions,  and  to  Babette,  watching 
him  it  appeared  that  he  was  struggling  hard  for 
self-mastery. 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  at  last,  in  a  hoarse  voice. 
"He  is  alive!  He  came  to  my  cabin  by  accident. 
He  had  broken  his  leg,  and  had  lain  in  an  Indian 
encampment  for  weeks.  There  he  had  heard  news 
which  had  sent  him  hot  foot  on  the  trail  of  a  man 
who  was  responsible  for  your  father's  death!" 

"For  my  father's  death?"  as  she  cried  the  words 
Joy's  face  was  white  as  the  snow  about  her.  "But 
__but " 

Her  voice  faltered,  and  guessing  what  she  would 
have  said,  Bracknell  explained.  "I  am  afraid  it 
will  come  as  a  shock  to  you  even  after  these  three 
or  four  years,  but  it  appears  to  be  the  fact  that 
your  father's  death  was  not  altogether  accidental. 

My  cousin  had  a  very  circumstantial  story  of  the 
affair,  and  he  was  on  the  trail  of  the  man  who 
was  responsible  for  the  crime,  the  same  man,  as  he 
believes,  who  shot  me  on  the  night  when  I  had 
arranged  that  meeting  with  you  at  North  Star." 

"But  who  is  the  man?"  asked  Joy  quickly. 

"My  cousin  gave  me  no  nam'e,  indeed  he  declined 
to  do  so.  But  he  had  his  theory,  and  he  went  so 
far  as  to  tell  me  that  not  only  did  the  Indian  who 
was  with  him  know  the  man,  but  that  he  himself 
believed  that  he  knew  him." 

"Ah!"  cried  Joy. 

[224] 


DICK  BRACKNELL  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 

Her  husband  looked  at  her.     "You  also  guess?" 

"Yes!"  she  answered.  "I  guess — but  no  more 
than  guess!" 

"Who    is   the   man?"    asked    Bracknell   quickly. 

"His  name  is  Adrian  Rayner!" 

"Rayner!"  cried  Bracknell  excitedly.  "The  son 
of  old  Rayner,  your  guardian?" 

"Yes!  He  is  in  the  North  now.  I  believe 
that  he  is  looking  for  Roger  Bracknell." 

"Kjod  in  heaven!" 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  Joy.  "You  look 
as  if  something  had  occurred  to  you !" 

"Yes!"  he  said  simply.  "Something  has — 
something  very  significant.  Two  or  three  days 
after  Roger  left  the  shack  a  stranger  arrived " 

"Mr.  Bracknell,"  interrupted  Miss.  La  Farge, 
"don't  you  think  we  had  better  postpone  explana- 
tions for  a  little  time?  If  we  remain  talking  here 
we  shall  freeze.  And  there  are  things  to  be  done. 
There  is  Jim  to  find — and  there  is  the  team  and  the 
outfit.  Then  we  must  bury  George.  We  can't 
possibly  leave  him  lying  here  for.  the  wolves!" 

"Yes,"  answered  Bracknell.  "I  was  forgetting." 
He  considered  a  moment  and  then  spoke  again. 
"The  sled  tracks  run  up  the  river.  If  you  two  were 
to  follow  a  little  way,  till  you  get  to  that  spur  there, 
you  will  have  a  long  view  of  the  trail,  and  possibly 
you  will  be  able  to  see  something  of  the  team  and 
your  man.  But  don't  go  too  far.  It  won't  be  safe. 
Whilst  you  are  away,  I  will  arrange  tree-burial  for 
this  poor  fellow.  And  when  you  return  we  can 
discuss  the  situation.  Do  you  agree?" 

[225] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Yes,"  answered  Joy. 

"Then  I  will  waste  no  time,  nor,  -I  hope,  will 
you." 

He  turned  and  began  to  walk  up  the  creek  in  a 
way  that  revealed  what  an  effort  it  was  for  him, 
and  for  a  second  or  two  Joy  watched  him  with 
pitying  eyes,  then  as  her  foster-sister  spoke,  she 
turned,  and  without  answering  began  to  follow  the 
sled  tracks. 

After  they  had  trudged  a  little  way,  Babette 
spoke. 

"Dick  Bracknell  is  a  strange  man.  Two  hours 
ago  he  was  within  an  ace  of  violence  towards  you, 
and  now  I  believe  he  is  really  solicitous  for  your 
welfare." 

"Yes,"  answered  Joy.  "He  is  full  of  contradic- 
tions. There  are  many  men  like  him,  I  suppose. 
When  he  is  good  he  is  very  good,  and  when  he  is 
bad  he  is  almost  satanic.  When  I  first  met  him  he 
was  a  gentleman,  an  attractive  one;  and  but  for 
unfortunate  influences  he  might  have  continued — 
but  now " 

"Now  he  is  a  wreck,  physical  and  .moral,"  an- 
swered Babette,  and  then  asked  sharply,  "Suppose 
we  do  not  find  Jim  and  the  dogs,  Joy?" 

"We  must  find  them!" 

"But  suppose  we  do  not?     What  then?" 

"Then  we  shall  have  to  take  refuge  in  the  cabin." 

She  said  no  more,  and  Babette  asked  no  more 
questions.  In  half  an  hour  they  reached  the  wooded 
spur  round  which  the  river  turned,  and  as  they 
reached  the  further  side,  both  came  to  a  standstill 
and  looked  at  the  frozen  waste. 

[226] 


DICK  BRACKNELL  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 

For  two  or  three  miles  the  course  of  the  river  was 
visible  between  low,  wooded  banks.  Snow  was 
everywhere,  and  nowhere  was  the  white  surface 
broken  by  any  moving  figure.  It  was  a  land  of 
death — death  white  and  cold.  Babette  shivered  as 
she  looked  on  it. 

"They  are  not  here,  Joy,"  she  whispered. 
"Neither  Jim  nor  the  dogs." 

"No-,"  answered  Joy  stonily. 

"We  shall  have  to  go  back  to  the  cabin  to — to 
— your  husband." 

"Yes,  there  is  no  other  way!"  A  sob  broke  from 
her,  then  she  bit  her  lip,  and  added,  "It  is  a 
strange  irony  that  now  my  safety  should  depend  on 
him." 

"Dare  you  trust  him — Joy?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Joy  thoughtfully.  "I  can  trust 
him — now.  As  you  have  seen  he  is  a  very  sick 
man,  and  in  spite  of  the  way  in  which  he  raved 
in  the  cabin,  I  believe  that  now  he  is  greatly  con- 
cerned for  my  safety,  and  yours.  Did  you  notice 
the  sudden  change  in  his  attitude  after  I  had  men- 
tioned Adrian  Rayner's  name?" 

"Yes,  he  was  startled.  His  manner  completely 
altered.  Something  struck  him  with  your  mention 
of  the  name.  I  wonder  what  it  was?" 

"I  do  not  know.  I  cannot  even  guess,  but  no 
doubt  we  shall  hear  presently.  There  is  nothing 
for  us  to  do  but  to  return  to  the  cabin." 

Her  foster-sister  nodded  thoughtfully.  "Yes, 
we  shall  have  to  do  that.  We  can  do  nothing  else." 
She  paused  a  moment  and  then  asked,  "You  don't 
think  George's  son  has  deserted  us,  Joy?" 

[227} 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"No!"  answered  Joy  emphatically.  "Something 
has  driven  him  away.  But  he  will  return — if  he 
can.  I  am  sure  of  that!" 

They  turned  in  their  tracks  and  slowly  retraced 
their  way  to  the  cabin.  Dick  Bracknell  was  standing 
at  the  door,  evidently  waiting  for  them,  and  as 
they  approached  he  flashed  a  look  of  inquiry  at  Joy. 
She  shook  her  head. 

"No,"  she  said  quietly.  "There  is  nothing  to  be 
seen  anywhere." 

"I  am  sorry,"  answered  Bracknell  simply.  "You 
must  wait  here.  Perhaps  your  other  man  will 
return,  or  if  he  does  not  my  man  may." 

He  opened  the  door  and  held  it  for  them  to  pass 
in. 

"You  can  take  off  your  furs,"  he  said,  as  they 
entered.  "I  have  blocked  the  window  with  snow, 
and  stretched  a  blanket  over  it.  I  am  afraid  that 
it  will  be  rather  dark,  but  that  is  unavoidable." 

The  two  girls  followed  his  suggestion  and  seated 
themselves  by  the  stove.  For  a  little  time  no  one 
spoke,  and  the  red  glow  of  the  fire  shining  on  their 
faces  showed  them  very  thoughtful.  At  last,  Joy 
broke  the  silence. 

"You  were  saying  that  two  or  three  days  after 
your  cousin  left  here  a  stranger  arrived.  Who  was 
it?  Do  you  know?" 

Dick  Bracknell  laughed  mirthlessly.  "I  do  not 
know  for  certain.  I  can  only  guess." 

"And  you  guess " 

"That  it  was  old  Rayner's  son — Adrian,  I  think 
you  called  him.  Of  course  he  didn't  tell  me  who 
he  was,  but  he  let  out  that  he  was  looking  for  my 

[228] 


DICK  BRACKNELL  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 

Cousin  Roger,  and  posed  as  a  lawyer's  clerk.  I'm 
morally  certain,  however,  that  he  was  young 
Rayner!" 

Joy  remembered  his  sudden  change  of  manner 
when  she  had  said  that  Adrian  Rayner  was  in  the 
North,  looking,  as  she  believed  for  Roger  Bracknell, 
and  after  a  moment,  urged  by  something  deeper 
than  curiosity,  she  spoke,  "You  hinted  that  some- 
thing very  significant  had  occurred  to  you.  What 
was  it? 

Dick  Bracknell  hesitated,  and  it  was  evident  that 
he  was  wondering  whether  to  tell  her  or  not.  Then 
he  laughed  bitterly.  "You  may  as  well  know  all 
the  kinds  of  fool  I  am.  This  stranger  pitched  a 
yarn  about  you  and  Roger,  and  I  was  fool  enough 
to  believe  him." 

He  broke  off  and  looked  at  Joy,  whose  face  was 
flaming.  Even  in  the  red  glow  of  the  fire-light  the 
flush  revealed  itself  to  him,  but  though  he  frowned 
a  little,  he  continued  in  an  even  voice.  "He  told 
me  that  my  brother  Geoffrey  was  dead,  and  that 
as  I  was  either  dead  or  as  good  as  dead,  Roger 
quite  naturally  was  reckoned  as  the  heir  to  Harrow 
Fell.  He  said  further  that  you  knew  of  this  and 
that  you  were  looking  for  Roger  with  the  news  and 
with  the  intention  of  marrying-  him." 

"Oh!" 

As  the  exclamation  broke  from  her,  Joy  abruptly 
hid  her  face  in  her  hands,  Bracknell  coughed  a 
little  and  then  resumed — 

"He  claimed  to  be  the  agent  of  old  Rayner,  and 
declared  he  was  looking  for  Roger  Bracknell  in 
order  to  warn  him  of  your  previous  marriage,  and 

[229] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

to  give  him  warning  that  I  was  alive,  in  case  you 
.  —  a  —  should  not  regard  that  marriage  as  binding." 

He  looked  at  Joy  again.  Her  face  was  still  hid- 
den in  her  hands. 

"As  I  said,  I  was  fool  enough  to  believe  him,  and 
that  accounts  for  my  amiable  reception  of  you  just 
now.  It  even  accounts  for  your  presence  here,  for 
when  my  man  Joe  brought  news  that  you  were  out 
in  the  Northward  trail,  the  trail  that  Roger  was 
folldwing,  I  was  morally  certain  that  you  were  out 
upon  his  track,  and  I  set  out  to  trap  you.  You 
must  own  that  your  unexpected  presence  did  give 
colour  to  Rayner's  story,  and  that  I  had  some  excuse 


"I  was  looking  for  your  cousin  Roger,"  inter- 
rupted Joy,  suddenly  lifting  her  face,  and  meeting  his 
questioning  gaze. 

He  looked  at  her  but  did  not  immediately  reply. 
And  in  the  silence  that  followed  Miss  La  Farge  rose 
from  her  seat  and  began  to  put  on  her  furs. 

"I  am  going  outside,"  she  said.  "It  is  better 
that  I  should.  You  two  have  things  to  say  to  each 
other  that  should  only  be  said  between  you." 

She  passed  out,  shutting  the  door  behind  her, 
and  after  a  little  time,  Dick  Bracknell  spoke  again. 

"You  say  you  were  looking  for  my  Cousin  Roger? 
That  is  a  very  damaging  admission,  is  it  not?  It 
would  seem  that,  after  all,  that  fellow  Rayner  was 
not  far  off  the  mark." 

"You  do  not  believe  that?"  answered  Joy,  meet- 
ing his  gaze  with  steady  eyes. 

He  laughed  shortly.  "No,"  he  admitted.  "I 
[230] 


DICK  BRACKNELL  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 

do  not  believe  it — now,  but  I  will  own  that  I  am 
a  little  curious  as  to  the  reason  why  you  should 
follow  on  my  cousin's  trail.  It  is — er — a  little 
unusual." 

"I  was  following  him,  as  I  believed,  to  save  him. 
Adrian  Rayner  wanted  to  marry  me,  and  I  had 
accused  him  of  trying  to  kill  you  at  North  Star. 
He  knew  all  about  my  marriage  to  you,  though  how 
he  got  the  knowledge  I  cannot  tell " 

"That  is  simple  enough!"  broke  in  her  husband. 
"I  wrote  to  old  Rayner  and  told  him " 

"But  my  uncle  did  not  know,  I  am  sure  he  did 
not  know.  He  himself  wanted  me  to  marry  Adrian, 
and  I  can't  believe  he  knew." 

"Perhaps  not,"  admitted  Bracknell  thoughtfully. 
"It  is  possible  that  young  Rayner  got  hold  of  my 
letter  to  his  father  and  that  the  old  man  never 
saw  it  at  all.  But  what  has  this  to  do  with  my 
cousin!" 

"This!  Adrian  Rayner  told  me  that  he  was 
coming  here  in  order  to  prove  that  you  were  dead 
but  I  was  morally  certain  that  he  was  coming  here 
to  find  your  cousin  Roger  and  to — to " 

"To  shoot  him,  hey?  Why  should  he  want  to 
do  that?" 

"Because  he  knew  that  your  cousin  suspected 
him  of  that  attempt  on  your  life  at  North  Star!" 

"Wanted  to  get  rid  of  a  witness,  I  suppose.  And 
you  were  following  Roger  to  warn  him." 

"Yes !     That  was  one  reason." 

"Um!  It's  a  nice  coil,  for  sure.  I  entertain  the 
man  who  tried  to  murder  me,  and  I  set  him  on  the 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

trail  of  my  cousin  who  was  trying  to  bring  him  to 
justice.  That  is  about  as  pretty  a  kettle  of  fish 
as " 

"But  you  did  not  tell  Adrian  Rayner  where 
Roger  had  gone?"  cried  Joy,  springing  to  her  feet. 
"Surely  you  did  not  tell  him?" 

"At  that  time,"  answered  Bracknell  slowly,  "it 
seemed  to  me  that  I  had  little  cause  to  love  my 
Cousin  Roger.  You  are  to  remember  that  I  was 
in  ignorance  of  much  that  I  have  learned  this 
morning." 

"You  told  him?"  cried  Joy. 

"I  certainly  put  him  on  the  track,"  answered  the 
man. 

"Then  God  forgive  you!  God  forgive  you!" 
cried  Joy  in  anguished  tones. 

Dick  Bracknell's  face  set  hard,  and  only  by  an 
effort  was  he  able  to  control  himself.  But  after  a 
moment  he  replied  quietly,  "A«  I  have  said,  I 
did  not  know  Rayner.  I  had  no  inkling  of  his 
game." 

"No!"   said  Joy  stonily.     "I  understand  that." 

"You  hinted  that  there  iwas  another  reason," 
said  Bracknell,  watching  her  closely.  "I  wonder  if 
you  would  mind  telling  me " 

"Oh,  I  don't  mind  at  all,"  broke;  in  Joy  impul- 
sively. "Your  brother  Geoffrey  was  killed  whilst 
I  was  in  England.  Indeed,  I  was  the  one  to  find 
him  dead.  No  one  knew  whether  you  were  alive 
or  dead,  even  I  did  not  know,  and  Roger  was  re- 
garded as  the  heir.  But  I  knew  that  when  he  left 
North  Star  that  he  was  going  to  try  and  learn  what 
had  really  happened  to  you,  and  I  was  afraid  that  if 

[232] 


DICK  BRACKNELL  LEARNS  THE  TRUTH 

there  was  a  collision  between  you,  and  anything 
dreadful  happened,  people  might  say  that  he — that 
he " 

She  broke  off,and  hesitated. 

"I  understand,"  said  her  husband.  "You  need 
not  say  it.  I  dare  say  you  are  quite  right.  This 
world  is  full  of  Christian  charity." 

"I  cabled  him  and  tried  to  get  in  touch  with 
him.  I  learned  that  he  was  missing.  I  came  out, 
and  at  Regina  I  discovered  that  nothing  whatever 
had  been  heard  about  him,  but  I  discovered  also 
that  Adrian  Rayner  had  been  making  inquiries, 
that  he  was  on  his  trail.  Then  I  was  certain  of 
his  evil  purpose,  and  when  I  reached  North  Star 
and  found  Adrian  there,  I  accused  him,  for  I  was 
very  sure  of  his  intentions.  As  soon  as  I  could  I 
started  to  look  for  your  cousin  myself " 

"You  seem  very  anxious  about  my  cousin,"  broke 
in  her  husband  quietly. 

"Oh,  how  can  I  help  being?"  cried  Joy. 

Dick  Bracknell  took  a  step  forward,  and  put  a 
hand  on  her  shoulder.  She  did  not  shrink,  and  as 
his  eyes  searched  her  face,  she  met  his  gaze  steadily. 
They  stood  there  silent  for  what  seemed  a  long  time, 
then  Bracknell  dropped  his  hand. 

"I  think  I  understand,"  he  said  wearily,  "and  I 
do  not  blame  you.  And  I  am  sure  that  both 
Roger  and  you  have  played  the  game!  Well,  I'm 
crocked,  and " 

He  broke  off  and  laughed  harshly.  Then  his 
haggard  face  grew  suddenly  convulsed  with  rage. 
"That — Rayner!  If  only  I  could  meet  him 
again  I  think  I  could  die  happily!" 

[233] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Joy  looked  at  him,  her  heart  wrung  with  pity 
for  him.  She  stretched  a  hand  impulsively,  and 
was  about  to  speak  when  the  door  was  flung  open 
violently,  and  Miss  La  Farge  rushed  in,  hastily 
barring  the  door  behind  her. 


[234] 


CHAPTER  XXI 
UNDER  COVER  OF  NIGHT 

SHE  stood  there  gasping  for  breath,  and  unable 
to    speak;    and    to   both    the    others    in   the 
cabin   it  was   evident  that   something  start- 
ling   had    occurred.     Dick    Bracknell    found    his 
tongue  first. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Miss  La  Farge  ?  What  has 
happened?" 

Babette  found  her  breath  and  cried  pantingly, 

uSome  one  tried  to  kill  me.?" 

"To  kill  you!"  her  listeners  cried  together  in- 
credulously. 

"Yes.  I  was  walking  down  the  creek,  wondering 
where  Jim  and  our  dogs  were  gone  to,  when  I 
heard  a  sharp  sound,  just  like  the  twang  of  a  bow- 
string and  looked  round.  I  could  see  nothing,  and 
the  woods  on  the  banks  were  quite  still  and  silent, 
nothing  moving  anywhere.  I  was  still  looking, 
and  convincing  myself  that  I  had  imagined  the 
sound  when  it  occurred  again,  and  a  second  later 
an  arrow  struck  a  tree  close  by  me,  and  remained 
there,  quivering.  I  did  not  remain  to  see  any  more, 
or  to  try  and  learn  who  had  sent  it.  I  turned  in  my 
tracks  and  ran  back  here,  and  once  as  I  ran  an 
arrow  passed  clean  through  my  parka,  and  buried 
itself  in  the  snow  beyond." 

Dick  Bracknell  broke  out,  suddenly,  "Confound 

[235] 


,iTHE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

it,"  he  cried,  "this  is  intolerable.  That  Indian  Joe 
must  have  gone  mad!" 

"You  think  it  is  your  man?"  asked  Joy  quickly. 

"I  am  sure  of  it!  Who  else  can  it  be  in  this 
God- forsaken  wilderness  ?  It  must  be  he,  but  I  will 
soon  find  out!" 

He  moved  towards  the  door  and  throwing  down 
the  bar,  opened  it.  There  was  nothing  visible  but 
the  snow,  and  the  dark  woods.  He  took  a  step 
forward,  and  as  he  did  so  something  came  swishing 
through  the  air  and  struck  the  door  post.  He  knew 
what  it  was  before  he  saw  it,  and  cried  out. 

"Joe,  you  confounded  fool,  what " 

The  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle  broke  in  on  the  words, 
and  a  bullet  cut  the  fur  off  his  coat  at  the  top  of 
the  shoulder.  He  turned  quickly  round,  and 
tumbled  backward  into  the  cabin,  kicking  the  door 
to  behind  him.  Joy  ran  forward,  and  dropped  the 
bar  in  place,  then  looked  at  him. 

"You  are  hurt?"  she  cried  anxiously. 

"No,"    he   answered,   as  he   picked  himself  up. 

"Only  knocked  over  with  surprise." 

"But  that  was  a  rifle,  wasn't  it?  Some  one  fired 
at  you?" 

"Yes,  some  one  certainly  did!"  He  gave  a 
wheezy  laugh  as  he  lifted  a  hand  to  his  shoulder. 

"And  he  almost  got  me.  He  made  the  fur  fly, 
and  if  it  had  struck  an  inch  or  two  lower  down  I 
should  have  been  out  of  action  for  a  while  at  any 
rate.  He  must  be  a  rotten  shot,  for  out  there  on 
the  snow  I  must  have  been  a  perfect  mark!" 

"But  what  on  earth  can  your  man  be " 

"It  is  not  Joe,"  broke  in  Bracknell  with  convic- 
[236] 


UNDER  COVER  OF  NIGHT 

tiori.  "Even  if  he  has  gone  clean  into  lunacy  he'd 
never  do  a  thing  like  that  to  me.  Besides,  Joe  had 
no  gun  with  him.  Our  guns  are  there  in  the  corner, 
and  as  we've  run  out  of  ammunition  they  are  no  use. 
It  simply  can't  be  Joe." 

"Then  who  can  it  be?  And  why  should  he  want 
to  do  a  thing  like  that?" 

"It  may  be  your  other  man — Jim,  didn't  you  call 
him?  He  may  have  returned,  and  thinking  you 
were  prisoners  here,  may  have  tried  to  get  me  in 
the  hope  of  releasing  you." 

"But  you  forget  the  attack  on  Babette!  Some 
one  shot  arrows  at  her  and " 

"By  Jove!  I  had  forgotten  something!  Stand 
away  from  the  door.  I'm  going  to  open  it. 
There's  something  I  want  to  get." 

"Oh,  be  careful!"  cried  Joy. 

He  swung  around  and  looked  at  her  whimsically, 
then  he  said  quietly,  "I'll  be  careful  for  your  sake, 
not  my  own.  I've  got  to  get  you  safely  out  of  this. 
That  much  I  owe  you  at  any  rate." 

He  turned  again  to  the  door  and  cautiously  open- 
ing it  a  little  way,  peeped  out".  There  was  nothing 
visible,  and  quickly  he  opened  the  door  wider  and 
thrusting1  out  an  .arm,  gripped  the  arrow  which  was 
sticking  in  the  post,  and  hastily  flung  the  door  in 
place  once  more.  Even  as  he  did  so,  something 
crashed  into  the  wood,  and  the  sound  of  a  shot 
reverberated  through  the  stillness  outside. 
«  The  two  girls  looked  at  him,  their  faces  were 
white  and  they  were  much  alarmed.  Bracknell 
looked  at  the  door  and  laughed  shortly. 

[237] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"It  seems  that  we  are  to  stand  a  regular  siege," 
he  said.  "That  man  of  yours  is  of  the  persevering 
sort." 

Neither  Joy  nor  her  foster-sister  replied,  and 
moving  towards  the  stove  Bracknell  threw  on  a 
spruce  log,  and  as  it  caught  and  flamed  up  he 
stopped,  and  by  its  light  he  examined  the  arrow  in 
his  hand.  Quarter  of  a  minute  later  he  stood  up. 

"This  settles  it,"  he  said.  "This  arrow  is  not 
Joe's.  It  is  too  finely  made,  with  an  ivory  barb 
on  which  somebody  has  spent  time.  Joe's  bow  and 
arrows  were  makeshifts,  and  his  barbs  were  of 
moose  bone!" 

"Then  who  can  it  be?"  asked  Joy.  "Jim  would 
have  no  arrows  at  all,  and  he  certainly  would  not 
have  fired  them  at  Babette  if  he  had." 

Dick  Bracknell  shook  his  head.  "I  cannot  think. 
It  may  be  a  roving  band  of  Indians  from  the  far 
North.  This  arrow  tells  its  own  story.  It  is  like 
those  made  by  the  Indian  Esquimaux  in  the  North 
Behring.  I've  been  up  there  and  I've  seen  arrows 
like  it  before." 

"But  at  least  one  of  our  attackers  has  a  rifle," 
said  Miss  La  Farge. 

"Yes,"  answered  Bracknell  thoughtfully. 

"And  why  should  they  attack  us  at  all?"  asked 
Joy. 

"They  may  be  out  for  plunder.  Most  of  these 
fellows  have  a  weakness  for  the  possessions  of  white 
men.  I've  seen  one  of  them  risk  his  life  for  a  wood- 
man's axe,  and  they'll  give  their  heads  for  a  sheath 
knife.  They  will  have  seen  the  cabin  and  may  think 
that  there  are  things  worth  having  here,  but  in  any 

[238] 


UNDER  COVER  OF  NIGHT 

case  they  will  find  out  the  mistake  in  a  very  few 
days." 

"Why?" 

"Because  we  haven't  more  than  two  or  three  days' 
stock  of  food,"  replied  Bracknell  grimly.  "There's 
only  a  small  stock  of  coffee,  a  few  beans  and  some 
frozen  moose  meat.  That's  why  I  suspected  Joe  of 
trying  to  get  your  outfit.  But  I've  changed  my 
mind  now.  I  think  that  those  fellows  outside  may 
have  killed  your  man — and  Joe  also,  if  we  only 
knew!" 

"Then  our  position  is  rather  desperate?" 

Bracknell  nodded.  "If  those  beggars  really  mean 
business,  we're  in  a  pretty  tight  corner.  They  may 
rush  the  cabin  or  they  may  wait.  In  either  case 
they  will  get  us!" 

"There  is  one  possibility  that  you  have  not 
thought  of  yet,"  said  Babette  slowly. 

"What  is  that?" 

"It  is  that  this  attack  may  not  have  been  made  by 
any  roving  tribe  at  all." 

"But  who " 

"Adrian  Rayner!" 

"God  in  heaven!"  as  the  exclamation  broke  from 
his  lips  Dick  Bracknell  looked  at  her  in  amazed  con- 
viction. "Of  course,  I  never  thought  of  him !" 

"He  is  the  one  man  who  has  cause  to  do  such  a 
thing.  He  knows  that  Joy  and  I  suspect  him  of 
shooting  you  at  North  Star.  He  wanted  to  marry 
her,  and  he  knows  that  that  is  now  out  of  the  ques- 
tion altogether.  But  he  is  Joy's  cousin,  and  Joy,  as 
you  know,  is  immensely  wealthy.  If  she  died  up 
here " 

[239] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Heavens !  yes !  And  I  would  stake  my  life  that 
he's  the  man  Roger  is  after,  the  man  who  caused 
your  father's  death.  He " 

"You  did  not  tell  me !"  cried  Joy.  "How  did  my 
father  die?" 

"Some  one  blew  up  the  ice  on  the  river,  the  ice 
which  he  was  bound  to  pass  over  in  the  morning. 
Of  course  the  river  froze  over  again  in  the  night, 
but  it  was  not  strong  enough  to  carry  a  man,  let 
alone  a  man  and  a  heavy  sled  team.  He  went 
through — and  died,  but  if  Roger  is  right  he  was 
diabolically  murdered." 

Joy  did  not  move.  She  looked  at  him  with  horror 
in  her  eyes.  Then  her  face  grew  hard.  "I  believe 
your  cousin  Roger  is  right.  Adrian  Rayner  was 
abroad  about  the  time  when  my  father  must  have 
died.  And  he  wanted  to  marry  me  after  you  had 
been  shot  at  North  Star,  though  he  could  not  have 
been  sure  of  your  death.  ...  It  was  my  money  he 
was  after,  and " 

"He's  after  it  yet!"  cried  Bracknell  with  con- 
viction, "Miss  La  Farge  is  right.  If  you  died  up 
here — but  have  you  made  a  will?" 

Joy  shook  her  head.  "It  was  never  suggested  to 
me!" 

"No — for  a  very  good  reason.  As  your  next  of 
kin  Rayner  and  his  father  would  step  in  if  you  died. 
The  fellow  has  been  working  to  that  end  all  the  time 
— he's  working  now!  And  he's  cunning — most 
damnably  cunning.  The  way  he  arranged  your 
father's  death  proves  that,  and  if  Miss  La  Farge 
here  is  right,  and  Adrian  Rayner  is  the  man  behind 

[240] 


UNDER  COVER  OF  NIGHT] 

the  gun,  then  we're  in  a  hole.  The  fellow  will  show 
us  no  mercy.  He — : — " 

"S-s-s-h-h!" 

As  she  gave  the  warning,  Miss  La  Farge  lifted  a 
hand,  in  signal  for  silence,  and  bent  forward  in  a 
listening  attitude.  The  other  two  listened  also,  but 
heard  nothing  save  the  splutter  and  hiss  of  the  logs 
on  the  fire. 

"What  is  it?"  whispered  Bracknell. 

"Some  one  walked  round  the  cabin.  I  heard  him 
quite  plainly.  Ah — again." 

They  listened.  Crunch!  crunch!  came  the  sound 
of  footsteps  in  the  frozen  snow  outside.  All  round 
the  cabin  the  steps  passed,  slowly,  as  if  some  one 
were  making  an  inspection,  and  whilst  they  still  sat 
listening,  the  steps  receded  and  passed  out  of  ear- 
shot. They  looked  at  one  another  and  Bracknell 
was  the  first  to  break  the  silence. 

"A  pretty  cool  customer,  whoever  he  is !  He  was 
spying  out  the  land." 

"Yes!"  answered  Miss  La  Farge  in  a  half 
whisper. 

"I  wonder  what  he  will  do?"  said  Joy. 

"Nothing,  if  he  is  wise,"  answered  Bracknell 
slowly.  "Having  walked  round  he'll  have  made  the 
discovery  that  we  keep  our  wood  at  the  rear  of  the 
cabin,  and  he'll  easily  guess  that  we  have  no  great 
stock  inside.  He  has  only  to  wait  until  the  necessity 
for  replenishing  the  stock  arrives,  and  then  he  can 
get  one  of  us  at  any  rate.  .  .  .  He'll  know  we  have 
no  dogs,  and  that  we  are  tied  to  the  cabin " 

"But  are  we?"  interjected  Joy. 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Well,  the  open  trail  without  dogs  is  a  risk  that 
few  men  would  care  to  undertake.  I've  been  at  it 
on  one  or  two  occasions,  carrying  my  own  stores, 
and  it's  not  a  course  to  be  recommended.  The 
trail " 

"But  we've  very  few  stores  to  pack!"  said  Joy 
obstinately,  "and  if  we  stay  here  we  shall  be  driven 
out  by  hunger.  Do  you  know  of  any  tribe  of  In- 
dians in  the  neighborhood?" 

Bracknell  nodded.  "There's  an  encampment 
thirty  or  forty  miles  to  the  North  on  the  Wolverine. 
Joe  was  talking  to  me  about  them  the  other  day,  and 
we  considered  once  over  whether  we'd  pay  them  a 
call  or  not.  In  the  end  we  decided  against  it." 

"Why?" 

"Well,"  was  the  reply,  "they're  rather  a  pagan 
lot,  and  not  over  scrupulous.  Joe  was  telling  me 
that  in  times  of  scarcity  they  sometimes  offer  sac- 
rifices  " 

"Sacrifices !     What  kind  of  sacrifices  ?"' 

"Well,  the  most  barbaric  sort — .human.  There 
are  some  queer  things  done  North  of  the  Barrens, 
I  can  tell  you.  The  world  up  here  is  still  a  primitive 
world,  and  the  police  patrol  up  the  Mackenzie  to 
Herschell  Island  can't  possibly  take  note  of  anything 
that  doesn't  come  right  under  its  nose." 

"But  the  Indians  cannot  -possibly  be  worse  than 
Adrian  Rayner!" 

t  "No!"  Bracknell  laughed  hoarsely.  "He's  a 
tiger,  for  certain.  Though  I  will  own  he  didn't  look 
it  when  he  was  here  the  other  day."  He  was  silent 
for  a  moment,  then  he  said  slowly,  "Of  course  if  we 

[242] 


UNDER  COVER  OF  NIGHT 

decide  to  leave  the  cabin  and  if  we  go  North,  we  may 
stumble  on  my  Cousin  Roger.  It's  only  a  chance, 

but "  He  broke  off  again,  and  looked  at  Joy  as 

if  wondering  how  she  would  take  the  suggestion, 
then  added,  "Well,  we  might  take  it,  if  we  can  man- 
age to  get  away  from  here.  What  do  you  think?" 

Joy  hesitated.  Her  face  flushed  a  little,  then  she 
said  quietly,  "I  put  myself  in  your  hands." 

"Thank  you.     I  am " 

A  fit  of  coughing  broke  in  on  his  speech,  and  when 
it  had  passed  he  did  not  attempt  to  complete  his 
sentence,  but  as  his  eyes  from  time  to  time  fell  on 
her  there  was  a  soft  glow  in  them,  which  revealed  an 
unspoken  gratitude. 

They  sat  for  a  long  time  discussing  the  desperate 
situation,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  prepared  for 
departure.  Such  food  as  the  cabin  held  was  made 
up  in  three  packs,  and  when  that  was  done,  and  all 
was  ready,  they  rested,  waiting  for  the  hour  of 
departure,  Joy  reflecting  on  the  strange  irony  of 
circumstances  which  now  made  her  dependent  for 
help  on  the  man  who  had  so  wronged  her,  and 
of  whom  she  had  lived  in  fear. 

All  was  quiet  outside  and  Babette  was  offering 
•a  tentative  suggestion  that  perhaps  after  all  the 
enemy  outside  had  withdrawn,  then  again  they 
caught  the  crunch !  crunch !  of  cautious  feet  on  the 
frozen  snow,  and  as  all  three  grew  alert,  they  heard 
the  steps  pause  by  the  door,  and  the  next  moment 
there  was  a  rustling  sound  on  the  rough  woodwork, 

"Somebody  feeling  for  the  latch-string,"  whis- 
pered Dracknell,  then  he  hailed  the  intruder,  as  the 

[243] 


LADY  OF  NORTH.  STAR 

latter  having  found  the  string  thrust  a  heavy 
shoulder  against  the  barred  door.  "Hallo!  Who 
goes  there?" 

To  this  challenge  there  was  no  reply,  but  a  second 
or  two  later  *  they  again  heard  the  steps  receding 
across  the  snow. 

HCame  to  make  sure  we  were  still  here,"  com- 
mented Bracknell  in  a  low  voice,  "and  whoever  he 
was  he  has  made  a  bee  line  from  the  door.  That 
means  that  the  camp  they're  sitting,  in  is  somewhere 
in  front;  and  in  all  probability  they've  forgotten 
the  window  at  the  back,  or  as  it's  blocked  with  snow 
haven't  noticed  it.  We  shall  be  abl'e  to  quit  that 
way." 

They  waited  a  little  time  longer,  and  then  re- 
moved the  moose  hide  from  the  window  and  very 
cautiously  began  to  cut  away  the  snow  with  which 
it  had  been  blocked.  That  done  they  listened.  No 
sound  whatever  was  to  be  heard.  Bracknell  put  out 
his  head  and  peered  into  the  darkness.  There  was 
nothing  visible  save  the  foreground  of  snow  and  the 
shadowy  background  of  the  forest.  He  climbed 
out,  and  very  cautiously  crept  to  the  corner  of  the 
cabin  to  reconnoitre.  Jin  the  shadow  of  the  trees  on 
the  other  side  of  the  creek  he  caught  the  glow  of  a 
fire  and  discerned  three  men  sitting  round  it.  At 
that  sight  he  crept  back,  and,  whispering  to  the 
two  girls  to  be  very  careful,  assisted  them  out  of  the 
narrow  window.  Then  without  pausing  they  stole 
quietly  across  to  the  shadow  of  the  sheltering 
woods. 


[244] 


CHAPTER  XXII 
TO  THE  RESCUE 

there  is  some  one  coming  up  the 
trail!"  As  he  spoke  to  his  native  com- 
panion,  Corporal  Bracknell  pointed  down 
the  river.  The  Indian  paused  in  the  very  midst  of 
what  he  was  doing,  and  looked  in  the  direction  indi- 
cated, then  he  nodded,  and  in  his  own  speech 
replied — 

"Yes,  one  man  and  a  dog-team." 

"I  wonder  if  by  any  chance  it  can  be  the  man  we 
are  looking  for,  the  man  who  was  with  you  when 
the  trail  was  destroyed  before  Rolf  Gargrave." 

"Who  can  say?"  answered  the  Indian.  "He  has 
been  long  on  the  trail.  He  marches  wearily." 

"It  will  be  as  well  to  take  no  chances.  If  he 
sees  our  fire  he  is  almost  certain  to  make  for  it,  and 
if  we  go  back  in  the  trees  a  little  way  we  shall  be 
able  to  inspect  him  before  he  sees  us.  Then  if  he 
is  our  man " 

"We  shall  get  him?  Yes!  And  we  will  take 
him  down  to  the  Great  White  Chief  at  Regina,  who 
will  hang  him.  It  is  good.  See,  he  has  seen  the 
fire,  he  is'  turning  inward  to  this  bank." 

"Then  we  will  withdraw." 

Corporal  Bracknell  stretched  a  hand  for  his  rifle, 
and  together  they  retreated  to  the  undergrowth 

[245] 


(THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

behind  their  camp,  where,  crouching  low,  they 
watched  the  advent  of  the  stranger.  As  the  new- 
comer's dogs  moved  shorewards  they  began  to  yelp, 
and  their  own  dogs,  leaping  up,  gave  tongue 
menacingly.  The  driver  of  the  team,  however, 
moved  in  front,  and  as  one  of  the  huskies  flung  itself 
upon  the  harnessed  dogs,  brought  the  stock  of  his 
whip  down  so  smartly  on  it,  that,  yelping  agony,  it 
retreated.  The  rest  of  the  corporal's  dogs,  unde- 
terred, sprang  forward,  and  for  a  moment  the  new- 
comer was  the  centre  of  a  huddled  tangle  of  snarling 
and  yelping  dogs.  He  laid  about  him  valiantly  with 
his  clubbed  whip,  but  the  brutes  were  too  much 
for  him,  and  at  last  he  cried  aloud  for  help.  At  the 
cry  Sibou  rose  suddenly  to  his  feet. 

"That  not  white  man,"  he  said.     "He  Indian!" 

Thus  assured  Bracknell  and  he  ran  to  the  help 
of  the  new-comer,  and  within  two  minutes  the  tangle 
of  dogs  was  separated,  and  the  three  men  found 
time  to  look  at  each  other.  As  the  stranger's  eyes 
fell  on  the  corporal,  he  gave  a  sudden  cry  of  joy  and 
relief,  and  ran  to  him. 

"You  know  me!  I  come  from  North  Star.  I 
Jim,  Miss  Gargrave's  man!" 

The  corporal  looked  at  him  and  then  recognized 
him. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "I  know  you.  You  are  Indian 
George's  son.  What " 

He  was  interrupted  by  a  stream  of  words,  half 
incoherent,  half  intelligible,  which,  as  it  flowed  on, 
made  his  face  go  very  white.  He  listened  care- 
fully, trying  to  get  a  clear  idea  of  the  story  which 
the  lad  was  telling  him,  and  as  it  ended  he  nodded. 

[246] 


TO  THE  RESCUE 

"I  think  I  understand  what  you  are  trying  to 
tell  me,  Jim.  Some  one  has  killed  your  father. 
Some  one  fired  a  gun  at  you,  and  you  are  afraid  for 
your  mistress  and  Miss  La  Farge  and  you  want  me 
to  help.  That  is  so?  Very  good!  We  are  just 
about  to  have  supper  and  you  will  join  us.  We  will 
eat  first,  and  afterwards  talk.  I  have  no  doubt 
you  are  very  impatient,  but  your  dogs  are  fagged 
and  so  are  mine.  It  is  impossible  to  travel  until 
they  have  rested.  Feed  your  dogs  and  come 
along." 

Himself  the  prey  of  consuming  anxiety,  he  helped 
to  prepare  the  evening,  meal,  forced  himself  to  eat, 
and  not  until  he.  had  lit  his  pipe  did  he  refer  to  the 
story  which  the  Indian  lad  had  told  him  so  incoher- 
ently. 

"Now,  Jim,"  he  said,  "let  us  get  at  the  facts 
if  we  can.  You  say  that  your  mistress  and  Miss 
La  Farge  are  here  in  the  North,  and  that  they  are 
on  trail?" 

"Yes,  sir!" 

"But  I  thought  they  were  in  England?" 

"They  returned  suddenly,   fourteen  days  ago !" 

"But  what  were  they  doing  on  trail,  so  far  from 
home,  with  the  spring  coming?" 

"I  do  not  know  clearly.  But  they  were  looking 
for  you.  They  had  news  for  you.  More  than  that 
was  not  told  my  father." 

"And  you  say  that  yester  morning  a  strange 
Indian  came  to  your  camp  with  a  message  from  a 
white  man?" 

"Yes.  The  white  man  was  sick.  He  desired  to 
talk  with  Miss  Gargrave;  so  whilst  we — my  father 

[247] 


JHE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

and  I  struck  camp,'  Miss  La  Farge  and  my  mistress 
went  to  the.  cabin  which  was  on  a  creek " 

"Ah!"  interrupted  the  corporal.  "Was  it  on 
the  left  bank?" 

"Yes!  The  left  bank.  The  word  was  that  we 
should  pack  and  bring  the  dogs  and  the  sled  to  the 
mouth  of  the  creek  there  to  wait  for  Miss  Gargrave. 
We  did  so,  and  were  standing,  stamping  our  feet 
for  warmth,  when  my  father  gave  a  cry  like  that  of 
a  man  whom  dea*h  strikes  and  fell  into  the  snow. 
I  was  a  little  way  from  him,  and  ran  towards  him. 
As  I  reached  him  his  spirit  passed,  and  looking  down 
I  saw  that  he  had  been  struck  with  an  arrow." 

"Indians!"  ejaculated  the  corporal. 

"I  cannot  tell.  I  looked  about  and  I  saw  three 
men  in  the  shadow  of  the  wood.  Their  faces  were 
hidden  from  me,  and  I  could  not  see  them  clearly. 
One  carried  a  rifle  which  he  fired  at  me.  Our  rifles, 
mine  and  that  of  my  father,  were  lashed  on  the  sled 
and  I  was  helpless." 

"What  did  you  do?"  asked  the  corporal. 

"I  lashed  the  dogs  and  fled,  clinging  to  the  gee- 
pole.  The  trail  was  good  and  I  made  speed.  It 
was  in  my  mind  that  the  man  with  the  rifle  would 
fire  again,  but  he  did  not  do  so,  though  twice  or 
thrice  arrows  fell  near  me,  and  I  knew  that  I  was 
followed.  It  was  in  my  mind  that  when  the  pursuit 
was  over  I  would  go  back,  and  I  made  for  the  woods 
on  the  further  side  of  the  river,  and  when  darkness 
came  I  crept  down  the  trail,  and  leaving  my  dogs 
crossed  the  river  to  the  creek." 

"Yes?    Yes?    What  did  you  find?" 
[248] 


TO  THE  RESCUE 

"I  found  my  father's  body  gone,  and  at  the  head 
of  the  creek  opposite  a  cabin  a  camp  was  pitched 
and  a  fire  lighted,  and  whilst  I  watched  a  man  left 
the  camp  and  went  towards  the  cabin.  I  could  not 
see  what  he  did,  but  it  is  in  my  mind  that  the  men 
in  the  camp  keep  watch  on  the  cabin." 

"And  your  mistress?  Did  you  see  anything  of 
her?" 

"Nothing,  but  my  mind  says  she  is  in  the  cabin, 
for  it  was  thither  she  went  to  see  the  sick  white 
man.  I  thought  once  to  attack  the  camp,  but  the 
men  there  are  three,  and  I  am  but  a  stripling  and 
unused  to  battle.  Then  I  bethought  me  of  Indians 
who  live  up  the  river.  They  are  not  good  Indians, 
but  my  father  was  known  to  them  and  I  thought 
that  maybe  they  might  give  help.  I  was  on  my 
way  there,  when  I  caught  the  light  of  your  fire,  and 
came  here,  hoping  to  find  a  white  man,  and  I  find 
you.  It  is  very  good.  You  will  go  back?  You  will 
help?" 

"Yes — I  shall  go  back.  I  shall  help.  We  must 
save  your  mistress.  I  know  the  cabin  on  the  creek 
and  I  know  the  sick  man  whom  she  went  to  see; 
and  I  do  not  think  she  will  come  to  any  harm  in  that 
quarter.  But  the  men  in  the  camp,  who,  as  you 
think,  watch  the  cabin,  are  different.  There  is 
something  there  that  I  do  not  understand.  But  we 
will  find  out  ...  we  will  rest  now,  and  in  four 
hours  we  start.  I  will  feed  the  dogs  again  now,  for 
there  is  a  hard  journey  before  us.  The  wind  has 
changed  and  the  trail  will  soften  in  the  morning." 

"Yes.     It   is    from    the    south.     The    spring   is 

[249] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

knocking  at  the  door,  and  in  a  week  the  ice  will 
grow  rotten,  but  before  then  we  will  find  my 
mistress !" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  corporal  simply.  "We  will 
find  her." 

The  Indian  had  disposed  his  blankets  near  the 
fire  and  within  five  minutes  was  sound  asleep.  A 
little  time  later  Sibou  also  slept,  but  Corporal  Brack- 
nell  made  no  attempt  to  close  his  eyes,  since  he  knew 
that  for  him  sleep  was  impossible.  He  lit  his  pipe, 
and  sat  staring  into  the  fire,  the  prey  of  gnawing 
anxiety.  The  mystery  of  the  men  in  the  camp 
who  watched  Dick  Bracknell's  cabin,  utterly  con- 
founded him.  Were  they  men  whom  his  cousin 
had  wronged  during  his  none  too  scrupulous  career 
in  the  North?  That  was  just  possible.  Daily, 
men  in  those  wild  latitudes  took  the  law  into  their 
own  hands,  enforcing  verdicts  that  not  infrequently 
were  more  just  than  those  of  the  law  itself.  Were 
these  men  of  that  type?  Then  his  mind  dismissed 
the  suggestion.  In  that  case  why  had  they  killed 
George,  and  attacked  his  son,  the  lad  who,  over- 
borne by  his  labours,  was  now  sleeping  there  on  the 
other  side  of  the  fire? 

They  might  be  roving  Indians.  The  use  of 

arrows  suggested  that,  but  one  had  a  rifle 

Suddenly  he  sat  bolt  upright,  his  eyes  staring  widely, 
as  another  possibility  flashed  through  his  mind. 

"Adrian  Raynerl" 

He  was  appalled  at  the  thought,  but  the  more  he 
dwelt  upon  it,  the  stronger  his  suspicion  grew. 
Adrian  Rayner  was  in  the  North  and  he  had  two 
Indians  with  him,  "bad  men,"  as  Chief  Louis  had 

[250] 


TO  THE  RESCUE 

said.  The  corporal  was  morally  certain  that 
Rayner  was  the  man  who  had  made  the  attempt  on 
Dick  Bracknell  at  North  Star;  and  if  he  knew  that 
he  were  still  alive,  what  more  likely  than  that 
he  should  make  a  second  attempt?  There  was 
nothing  surprising  about  that,  but  the  attack  on 
Joy  Gargrave's  party  was  something  that  passed  his 
comprehension  altogether.  Try  ,as  he  would  he 
could  find  no  sufficient  explanation  for  that,  the  one 
possibility  that  presented  itself  to  his  mind  being 
that  Adrian  Rayner  was  for  some  reason  anxious  to 
make  Joy  dependent  upon  himself,  and  so  had 
deliberately  set  out  to  destroy  her  escort.  Then 
the  thought  suggested  itself  to  him  that  after  all 
he  might  be  building  on  a  false  assumption.  The 
man  responsible  for  the  death  of  George,  and  for 
the  attack  on  the  cabin,  might  not  be  Rayner  at  all. 

Restlessly  his  mind  groped  among  the  possibili- 
ties which  the  mystery  suggested,  and  not  once 
during  the  four  hours  that  he  had  decreed  for  rest 
did  his  eyes  shut.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
wakened  Sibou,  and,  impatient  to  get  away  himself, 
helped  in  the  preparation  for  making  a  start,  allow- 
ing the  boy  Jim  to  sleep  until  the  last  available 
moment,  and  when  at  last  they  took  the  trail  he 
was  conscious  of  relief.  It  was  at  least  something 
to  feel  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  help  of  Joy. 

They  travelled  six  hours  and  then  made  a  halt 
for  a  brief  rest  and  a  meal,  afterwards  resuming 
their  way.  As  noon  approached  they  found  the 
hard  crust  of  the  snow  softening,  and  the  going 
becoming  harder,  but  there  was  no  slackening  of 
effort,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  they  arrived  at  a 

[250 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

point  opposite  the  creek  on  the  far  side  of  the  river. 
There  in  the  shadow  of  the  woods  they  waited  till 
darkness  fell,  and  then  leaving  the  boy  in  charge 
of  the  dogs,  the  corporal  and  Sibou  crossed  the 
river,  and  made  a  detour  which  would  bring  them 
out  at  the  head  of  the  creek  where  the  cabin  was 
located. 

They  reached  the  neighbourhood  of  their  object- 
ive in  about  an  hour's  time,  and  then  moved  forward 
with  extreme  caution,  looking  for  the  camp  which 
the  boy  had  described  as  being  opposite  the  cabin. 
But  no  glow  of  blazing  logs  met  their  gaze,  and  the 
edge  of  the  forest  presented  a  front  of  unbroken 
shadow.  Sibou  sniffed  the  air  thoughtfully. 

"There  is  no  smell  of  fire,"  he  whispered. 

"No!"  answered  the  corporal,  his  anxiety  sud- 
denly trebled  by  the  thought  that  he  had  arrived 
too  late. 

They  still  crept  forward,  and  then  unexpectedly 
Sibou  stopped,  and  pointed  to  the  ground.  Roger 
Bracknell  looked  down  and  saw  a  blackened  circle 
in  the  snow  where  a  fire  had  been  lit. 

"Here  was  the  camp,"  said  the  Indian,  and  then 
stopped  and  put  his  hand  on  the  ashes.  "The  fire 
is  cold,"  he  said,  as  he  stood  upright  again.  "It 
has  been  out  for  some  time." 

For  a  moment  they  stood  looking  at  each  other, 
and  then  instinctively  both  turned  to  look  for  the 
cabin.  It  stood  like  a  shadow  against  the  deeper 
shadow  of  the  woods  behind  it,  silent,  and  with  no 
sign  of  occupation  about  it. 

"Perhaps  the  men  we  seek  are  in  the  cabin," 
whispered  the  corporal. 

[252] 


TO  THE  RESCUE 

Again  the  Indian  sniffed  the  air  and  then  shook 
his  head. 

"No!  They  are  not  there.  There  is  no  fire. 
But  we  will  go  and  find  out." 

Carelessly,  in  his  assurance,  Sibou  led  the  way 
across  the  creek,  and  to  the  front  of  the  cabin.  The 
door  was  closed,  and  he  hammered  on  it  with  his 
rifle  butt.  There  was  no  answer,  and,  feeling  for 
the  latch  string,  he  thrust  a  shoulder  against  the 
door.  It  did  not  yield. 

"The  door  is  barred,"  he  said  aloud.  "But 
there  is  no  one  within,  or  if  there  is  they  be  dead." 

"The  window!"  ejaculated  the  corporal,  and 
began  to  run  round  the  cabin. 

Reaching  the  window,  and  observing  the  empty 
framework  he  felt  for  his  matches,  and  then  hoist- 
ing himself  up,  with  head  and  shoulders  inside  the 
cabin,  he  struck  a  light  and  looked  hastily  round. 
The  cabin  was  empty.  With  something  like  a 
groan  of  despair  he  slipped  back  to  the  ground, 
and  looked  at  Sibou. 

"There  is  no  one  here,"  he  said.  "They  are 
gone!" 

The  Indian  nodded  and  stared  at  the  empty 
frame  thoughtfully,  then  after  a  little  time  he 
spoke. 

"The  men  of  the  camp  are  gone;  and  those  who 
were  in  the  hut  are  gone — whither  we  know  not; 
but  those  who  were  in  the  hut  went  out  not  by  the 
door,  for  the  door  is  barred  within.  How  did  they 
leave  the  cabin,  then?"  he  jerked  a  hand  upwards 
towards  the  window.  "This  way!  And  where- 
fore? Because  the  men  in  the  camp  were  watching 

[253] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

the   door,   and  had  left  the  window  unguarded." 

"By  Jove,  yes,"  cried  the  corporal,  seized  by  new 
hope.  "That  does  seem  more  than  likely." 

"Then  the  men  in  the  camp  discover  that  those 
whom  they  watch  have  flown,  and  the  cabin  is 
empty.  They  want  them  badly,  and  they  follow, 
therefore  we  find  the  camp  empty  like  the  cabin." 

"Yes  !  Yes  !  But  where  have  they  gone? 
Which  way  in  this  God-forsaken  wilderness?" 

"That  we  shall  know  when  daylight  comes. 
The  snow  will  carry  their  trail,  and  we  can  follow. 
Till  then  it  were  better  to  rest,  for  the  night  with- 
holds the  knowledge." 

Corporal  Bracknell  recognized  the  wisdom  of  the 
Indian's  words,  and  condemned  to  inaction-  until 
daylight,  decided  to  make  the  best  of  it. 

"Then  there  is  nothing  for  it  but  to  camp.  And 
we  may  as  well  use  the  cabin.  Slip  through  the 
window,  Sibou,  and  unbar  the  door,  whilst  I  go 
across  for  Jim  and  the  dogs." 

Half  an  hour  later  a  fire  was  roaring  in  the 
improvised  stove,  and  by  its  light  Roger  Bracknell 
wandered  round  the  cabin,  searching  for  anything 
that  would  give  him  a  clue  to  the  mystery.  He 
found  nothing.  The  hut,  save  for  a  couple  of  rifles 
reposing  in  the  corner,  and  some  odds  and  ends  of 
no  importance,  was  quite  empty.  He  looked  at  the 
rifles  and  addressed  himself  to  Sibou. 

"Evidently  the  ammunition  was  exausted." 

"Yes!  Therefore  the  rifles  were  left.  But  the 
food  was  taken.  Behold!" 

The  Indian  pointed  to   a   roughly  made  shelf, 

[254] 


JO  THE  RESCUE 

which  corresponded  to  the  ordinary  larder  of  a 
iKlondyke  cabin.  There  was  nothing  there  but  a 
coffee-sack  and  an  empty  syrup-tin. 

"They  run  from  the  men  in  the  camp,  and  leave 
the  rifles  because  they  are  useless,  but  they  take 
the  food,  and  they  have  a  start — one  hour — two 
hours — who  can  tell?  But  we  follow  in  the  morn- 
ing and  we  find  both.  That  so?" 

"Please  God,  yes!"  answered  the  corporal 
earnestly. 

Tired  out  with  the  labours  of  the  day,  Roger 
Bracknell  slept  long  and  well,  and  woke  a  little 
after  dawn  with  the  smell  of  frying  bacon  in  his 
nostrils.  The  boy  Jim  was  preparing  breakfast, 
but  Sibou  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  Questioning 
Jim,  he  learned  that  the  Indian  had  gone  outside 
an  hour  before  and  had  not  yet  returned.  Hastily 
throwing  on  his  furs,  the  corporal  passed  outside, 
and  as  he  did  so,  Sibou  appeared  at  the  edge  of  the 
woods  at  the  back  of  the  cabin.  There  was  an 
impassive  look  on  his  mask-like  face,  but  his  eyes 
gleamed  with  satisfaction. 

"Well?"  asked  the  corporal  eagerly. 

The  Indian  swept  a  hand  towards  the  woods. 

"That  way  have  they  gone.  The  double  trail 
is  there.  Also  there  is  a  dead  man  there  I" 

"A  dead  man?"  cried  the  white  man  in  sudden 
fear. 

"An  Indian!     I  know  him  not!" 

"Take  me  to  him,"  said  the  corporal  impera*- 
tively.  Without  a  word  Sibou  turned  and  led  the 
way  into  the  wood,  and  after  a  few  minutes'  walk 

[255] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

Roger  Bracknell  found  himself  near  the  mouth  of 
the  creek,  looking  down  into  the  face  of  a  dead  man. 
He  recognized  him  instantly. 

"He  is  known  to  you?"  asked  Sibou. 

"Yes,  he  is  known  to  me.  He  was  the  servant  of 
the  white  man  who  lived  in  the  cabin." 

"He  was  shot  in  the  back  with  an  arrow." 
explained  Sibou.  "He  must  have  been  looking  down 
at  the  trail  when  he  died." 

Roger  Bracknell  looked  at  the  dead  Indian  for  a 
little  time  without  speaking,  then  fear  for  what  was 
to  come  shook  him. 

"Sibou,"  he  said,  "we  must  make  haste.  There 
is  not  a  moment  to  waste.  Those  men  in  the  camp 
are  very  desperate  men.  Two  men  already  have 
died  at  their  hands,  and  they  are  now  on  the  trail 
of  the  man  who  was  in  the  hut  and  of  the  ladies 
whom  we  seek.  We  must  follow  hard!" 

"Yes,  hard!"  answered  Sibou  simply.  "It  is  a 
trail  of  death!" 

Half  an  hour  later  they  were  on  the  way  once 
more.  A  south  wind  was  blowing,  and  they  travel- 
led with  furs  opened,  for  the  day  was  comparatively 
warm,  and  there  were  many  signs  that  spring  was 
at  hand.  The  trail  they  followed  led  through  the 
forest  for  most  of  the  time,  but  towards  the  end 
of  the  day  followed  a  tributary  river,  and  here  it 
suddenly  gathered  itself  together  in-  a  space  of 
trampled  snow,  which  spoke  of  many  pairs  of  feet. 
The  corporal  looked  at  it  in  perplexity  and  watched 
Sibou,  who  circled  round  and  round,  seeking  a  solu- 
tion of  the  enigma  the  trampled  snow  presented. 

"What  do  you  make  of  it,  Sibou?" 
[256] 


TO  THE  RESCUE 

"I  am  not  sure,"  answered  the  Indian  slowly. 
"Something  strange  has  happened.  There  has 
been  a  meeting  here,  for  there  are  many  footmarks, 
and  there  is  a  trail  which  goes  up  the  river,  and  the 
trail  of  the  ladies  is  not  part  of  it." 

"But  where  are  they?  They  certainly  came 
here!" 

"So!"  answered  Sibou.  "And  they  went  from 
here,  since  they  are  not  to  be  found  in  this  place. 
It  is  in  my  mind  that  they  were  carried — for  there 
were  -dogs  here  as  well  as  men." 

"But  who " 

"Indians!  The  trail  is  not  that  of  white  men's 
feet." 

"Then  we  must  follow,"  cried  the  corporal. 

"Yes,"  answered  Sibou  gravely.  "We  must 
follow.  But  I  shall  go  first,  whilst  you  remain 
here.  If  I  find  nothing,  then  I  shall  be  back  in 
one  hour  or  two.  It  is  in  my  mind  that  there  is  an 
encampment  not  far  away,  and  it  is  better  that  we 
do  not  take  the  dogs  till  we  know.  If  they  are  bad 
Indians " 

"In  God's  name,  hurry!"  cried  Roger  Bracknell, 
his  courage  shaken  by  the  thought  of  the  new 
danger  into  which  Joy  Gargrave  appeared  to  have 
fallen. 


[257] 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
PRISONERS 

WHEN  Dick  Bracknell  had  led  the  way 
from  the  cabin  he  knew  that  he  was  lead- 
ing a  forlorn  hope.  It  was  possible  that 
many  hours  would  pass  before  the  men  in  the  camp 
discovered  their  flight;  whilst  on  the  other  hand  the 
discovery  might  be  made  immediately  and,  in  that 
case,  as  the  ruthlessness  of  the  attackers  had  shown, 
there  was  little  hope  of  escape.  But  there  were 
dangers  before  as  well  as  behind,  and  the  wilderness 
of  the  North  was  itself  the  greatest  danger.  They 
had  little  food,  he  himself  was  a  very  sick  man, 
ill-fitted  for  the  strenuous  toil  which  the  situation 
called  for,  and  in  the  woods  wild  beasts  and  wild 
men  might  lurk,  against  whom,  armed  merely  with 
pistols  and  hunting  knives,  they  would  be  almost 
helpless.  All  this  he  knew,  but  braced  himself  for 
the  task  before  him,  determined  at  all  costs  to  save 
the  two  girls  and  to  win  Joy's  respect  if  that  was 
at  all  possible. 

When  they  won  to  the  darkness  of  the  forest 
without  discovery,  he  breathed  more  freely,  and 
pushed  on  along  an  ill-defined  track,  which  he 
seemed  to  know  well.  As  the  night  wore  on,  he 
grew  unutterably  tired,  and  once  when  he  was 
overtaken  by  a  fit  of  coughing,  which  left  him  ter- 

[258] 


ribly  exhausted,  Joy  suggested  that  they  should  rest 
for  a  little  while. 

"Are  you  too  tired  to  continue?"  he  asked. 

"Oh  no,"  she  answered  quickly. 

"Then  we  will  keep  on." 

"But  you  are  not  fit  to  do  so,"  she  protested. 
"Your  cough " 

"What  do  I  matter?"  he  replied  with  a  mirthless 
laugh.  "I  am  done  for  in  any  case,  and  we  must 
be  a  long  way  from  here  before  morning.  This  is 
the  only  service  I  shall  ever  be  able  to  render  you, 
and  you  are  not  going  to  deny  me  the  chance  of 
atonement  which  it  gives,  are  you?" 

"I  was  not  thinking  of  that!"  answered  Joy 
gently.  "I  was  thinking  only  of  you." 

"And  I  am  thinking  only  of  you !"  he  retorted 
quickly.  "I  have  thought  of  myself  too  long.  I 
am  very  glad  to  have  this  opportunity  of  service, 
however  I  may  regret  the  circumstances." 

"I  am  very  grateful  to  you,"  was  Joy's  reply,  and 
without  further  words  they  started  anew  upon  their 
way. 

Once  they  stopped,  and  ate  a  little  food  which  had 
been  prepared  before  leaving  the  cabin,  and  then 
pushed  on  until  dawn,  when  a  fire  was  lit,  and  a 
halt  for  a  couple  of  hours  was  made.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  they  resumed  their  desperate  journey, 
and  an  hour  later  struck  the  river  for  which  Dick 
Bracknell  had  been  making.  A  look  of  relief  came 
on  his  haggard  face  as  he  saw  it. 

"It  will  be  easier  now,"  he  said,  "and  unless  the 
Indians  have  removed  we  shall  reach  the  encamp- 
ment all  right  now." 

[259] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Unless  those  men  overtake  us!" 

"Yes!     In  that  case  we  are  up  a  tree." 

"And  of  course  if  the  Indians  are  hospitable  we 
—Ah!  Look  there?" 

She  indicated  a  point  a  little  way  up  the  river.  A 
man  had  emerged  from  the  trees.  He  stood  there 
regarding  them  for  a  moment,  then  without  a  sign 
he  withdrew. 

"An  Indian,"  said  Joy  quickly.  "I  am  sure  of 
it!" 

"Yes,"  answered  Dick  Bracknell  slowly,  "an 
Indian.  But  he  may  be  one  of  these  men  who  are 
following  us.  The  question  is,  what  are  we  to  do? 
Our  way  lies  up  river." 

"Perhaps  it  will  be  better  if  we  take  to  the  woods 
again,"  suggested  Miss  La  Farge. 

"There  is  little  to  be  gained  by  doing  that," 
replied  Bracknell.  "The  man  has  seen  us,  and  if 
he  is  hostile  he  will  follow.  The  only  course,  I 
think,  is  to  keep  straight  on." 

They  were   still  discussing  when  Joy  broke  in. 

"The  question  is  solved  for  us,"  she  said  quickly. 
"There  are  men  in  the  wood  behind  us.  See !" 

She  had  scarcely  spoken  when  an  Indian  stepped 
from  the  wood,  and  another  followed,  and  another 
until  seven  men  stood  on  the  trail. 

"How!"  said  the  leader,  approaching  them. 

Bracknell  replied  to  the  salutation,  and  the  man 
spoke  to  his  companions  who  drew  nearer,  appar- 
ently quite  friendly  disposed  to  them.  Then  came 
a  change.  One  of  the  men  stepped  forward, 
looked  at  the  white  man,  and  gave  a  sudden  exclam- 
ation. Then  he)  turned  towards  his  companions 

[260] 


PRISONERS 

and  addressed  them  volubly.  Joy  strove  to  catch 
what  he  was  saying,  but  the  dialect  in  which  he 
spoke  was  strange  to  her,  and  she  could  make  noth- 
ing of  his  words.  It  was  clear  to  her,  however,  that 
the  man  was  excited,  and  as  he  spoke  the  excitment 
communicated  itself  to  his  companions.  Joy  looked 
at  Dick  Bracknell  for  an  explanation,  and  found  that 
his  face  was  very  white. 

"What  is  it?"  she  asked  quickly.  ''Something 
has  gone  wrong?" 

"Yes,  terribly  wrong.  These  men  will  be  merci- 
less. I  have  done  you  my  last  dis-service." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  she  questioned,  as  she 
looked  at  the  gesticulating  natives. 

"I  did  this  tribe  a  grave  wrong,  two  years'  ago. 
One  of  the  men  has  recognized  me,  and  I  think 
there  is  little  hope  for  us'.  We  might  put  up  a 
fight,  but  it  would  probably  be  little  use,  and  would 
certainly  jeopardize  your  life  as  well  as  mine.  If 
they  get  me,  they  may  let  you  go.  It  is  worth 

trying.  I  will  explain  and  perhaps^ •"  He 

broke  off  and  took  a  step  forward. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  inquired  Joy 
sharply. 

"Just  going  to  try  what  a  little  explanation  will 
do,"  he  answered,  "a  little  explanation  coupled 
with  persuasion." 

"No!"  she  replied  quickly.  "You  are  going  to 
make  a  bargain  with  those  men.  I  know  you  are, 
and  I  shall  not  agree.  We  stand  or  fall  to- 
gether." 

"Do  you  think  you  are  wise?"   he   asked. 

"I  do  not  know  whether  I  am  wise  or  not,"  she 

[261  j 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

answered  firmly.  "But  I  keep  the  faith  of  the  trail, 
and  I  shall  not  leave  you  in  the  lurch.  Neither 
will  Babette,  I  am  sure/' 

As  he  regarded  her,  a  strange  look  came  into 
his  eyes,  a  look  of  mingled  pride  and  pain. 

"Joy,"  he  said  brokenly,  "you  are  a  great 
woman  and  I  was  never  worthy  of  you !  .  .  .  You 
can  take  your  chances  with  me  if  you  like.  When 
I  come  to  think  upon  it  they  are  perhaps  as  good 
as  those  that  wandering  in  the  wilderness,  short  of 
stores,  offers.  They  may  spare  you;  who  knows? 
And  it  is  coming  spring.  You  can  feel  it  in  the 
air.  A  few  days  and  the  river  will  begin  to  break 
up,  and  then  will  come  white  men,  prospectors  and 
what  not.  You  may  have  a  chance." 

"It  is  by  that  chance  I  shall  abide,"  Joy  replied, 
"and  not  by.  any  that  leaves  you  to  the  mercy  of 
savages." 

The  Indians  finished  their  confabulation  and  the 
leader  stepped  forward  again,  and  with  lowering 
looks  addressed  himself  to  Dick  Bracknell,  who 
nodded  and  then  handed  over  his  pistol  and  hunting 
knife,  and  with  his  back  to  Joy  addressed  her  in 
warning. 

"Keep  your  pistol  out  of  sight,  Joy.  These 
brutes  will  not  suspect  you  are  carrying  one,  and  we 
may  yet  find  it  very  useful.  They  demand  that 
we  accompany  them  to  their  encampment  up  the 
river.  I  have  agreed,  since  there  is  nothing  else 
that  I  can  do.  I  do  not  think  they,  will  hurt  you 
or  Miss  La  Farge — yet." 

A  few  minutes  later  they  started  and  presently 
arrived  at  an  encampment  consisting  of  perhaps  a 

[262] 


PRISONERS 

score  of  tepees.  Dogs  greeted  their  coming  noisily, 
children  and  women  came  out  of  the  skin  tents  to 
look  at  them,  and  a  few  men  joined  their  captors 
as  they  moved  towards  the  centre  of  the  camp. 
Just  as  they  halted,  a  tall  Indian  came  out  of  one 
of  the  tents,  and  by  his  side  tottered  a  man  who 
seemed  incredibly  old,  but  though  his  step  was 
feeble,  his  eyes  were  keen,  and  as  they  fell  on  Dick 
Bracknell  they  lighted  with  sudden  ferocity,  and 
as  she  caught  the  glare  he  directed  towards  them, 
Joy  felt  the  clutch  of  fear  at  her  heart. 

"Who  is  that  old  man?"  she  asked.  "He 
knows  you.  I  saw  the  recognition  leap  in  his  eyes," 

"He  is  the  Shaman — the  tribal  witch-doctor, 
you  know.  I  am  afraid  his  recognition  of  me  is  not 
a  propitious  one.  He  is  a  ferocious  old  beast,  and 
he  owes  me  one." 

"What  have  you  done  to  the  tribe,"  asked  Joy 
curiously,  "that  all  of  them  should  be  against  you?" 

Bracknell  laughed  shortly.  "I  am  afraid  I  can- 
not unfold  the  record  of  that  particular  sin  for 
your  gaze.  It  was  a  wild,  mad  thing,  but  it  seemed* 
all  right  at  the  time.  Now  I  think  I  shall  have  to 
pay  for  it — and  you  too.  I  seem  to  be  your  evil 
genius,"  he  added  penitently. 

Joy  did  not  reply.  She  was  watching  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Shaman,  who  after  listening  to  their 
captors,  tottered  up  to  Bracknell  and  surveyed  him 
with  eyes-  that  were  gloating  and  cruel.  Joy 
shuddered  as  she  read  the  evil  triumph  in  the  old 
savage's  face,  and  looked  -at  her  husband.  Appar- 
ently he  was  altogether  composed,  and  there  was  a 
contemptuous  look  on  his  haggard  face.  Joy  was 

[263] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

conscious  of  a  certain  thrill  of  pride  as  she  looked 
at  him.  Dick  Bracknell  might  have  many  weak- 
nesses, but  cowardice  was  not  one  of  them.  Then 
the  Shaman  spoke,  mumbling  through  toothless 
gums,  and  though  she  did  not  understand  a  single 
word  of  what  he  was  saying,  Joy  caught  the  rasping 
menace  in  his  voice  and  shuddered  again.  The 
Shaman  laughed  as  he  broke  off,  a  throaty,  croaking 
laugh,  which  seemed  unutterably  evil;  and  a 
moment  later  they  were  hurried  to  one  of  the 
tepees  and  the  skin  door  was  thrown  together  and 
lashed  outside.  In  the  darkness,  Joy  spoke. 

"What  was  that  old  savage  saying  to  you, 
Dick?" 

Bracknell  laughed  shortly.  "Oh,  he  was  promis- 
ing himself  pleasure  and  me  pain,  indeed  my  pain 
was  to  be  his  pleasure." 

"Ah  I  You  mean  they  are  going  to  torture 
you?" 

"I  shouldn't  wonder!" 

"Will  .they  be  long  before ?" 

"Tonight,  I  fancy!  It  seems  the  tribe  is  in 
luck.  A  couple  of  moose  were  killed  this  morning, 
and  a  potlatch — sort  of  tribal  bean-feast,  you  know 
— is  arranged  for  tonight  and  most  of  them  will 
gorge.  The  Shaman  will  no  doubt  arrange  some 
form  of  entertainment  in  which  I  shall  take  a  star 
part!" 

"Oh,  it  is  dreadful!"  cried  Joy. 
^  In  the  darkness  she  heard  Dick  Bracknell  draw 
his   breath   sharply,    and    a    second    later    a    hand 
touched  hers.     She   did  not  shrink,  but  remained 

[264] 


PRISONERS 

quite  still,  and  then  heard  him  speak  in  a  broken, 
stammering  whisper — 

"My  dear  .  .  .  I'm  infernally  sorry  ...  to  have 
brought  you  into  this  mess,  I  ...  I " 

"We  shall  have  to  get  away  before,"  broke  in 
Joy's  voice.  "We  can't  remain  here  and  wait  for 
a  thing  like  that  to  happen." 

"What  will  it  matter?"  he  asked  lightly.  "It 
will  be  the  end — for  me.  But  if  it  will  save  you, 
I  do  not  care." 

Joy  did  not  answer,  she  knew  that  he  was  sincere, 
but  she  did  not  know  what  to  say,  and  presently 
he  spoke  again — 

"I  do  not  know  what  we  can  do.  If  we  try  to 
get  away  they  will  follow,  and  they  will  travel 
faster  than  we  shall.  And  besides,  with  the  food 
gone  the  attempt  would  be  hopeless.  One  cannot  go 
into  the  wilderness  without  grub." 

They  sat  discussing  the  situation  quietly,  and 
outside,  the  clamour  of  the  camp  grew.  Once  Joy, 
finding  a  small  hole  in  the  tent,  peeped  out.  On 
the  edge  of  the  encampment  a  great  fire  had  been 
lit,  and  around  it  a  number  of  women  and  men 
were  engaged  in  trampling  the  snow  hard.  She 
guessed  that  it  was  there  that  the  potlatch  was  to 
be  held,  and  wondered  what  would  happen  when  the 
Indians  had  feasted.  The  uncouth  figures  moving 
to  and  fro,  and  cut  out  from  the  deepening  darkness 
by  the  glow  of  the  fire,  seemed  inconceivably  wild 
and  grotesque,  and  once,  when  the  strange  form  of 
the  Shaman  shuffled  into  view,  and  stood  gesticulat- 
ing and  pointing  to  the  tepee,  she  shuddered. 

[265] 


JHE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

She  knew  that  these  men  were  as  the  men  of  the 
Stone  Age,  that  pity  was  a  quality  to  which  they 
were  strangers,  and  that  they  would  do  things 
which,  merely  to  think  of,  made  her  shake  with 
terror. 

"Oh,"  she  cried  sharply,  "is  there  nothing  that 
we " 

"Hush!"  broke  in  Dick  Bracknell's  voice  per- 
emptorily. "Listen!" 

All  three  listened.  Some  one  was  fumbling  at 
the  back  of  the  tent,  then  presently  there  came  a 
ripping  noise,  and  a  voice  whispered,  "Are  you 
there?" 

Even  at  that  moment  Joy  Gargrave's  heart 
leaped  as  she  recognized  it. 

"Yes,  Corporal  Bracknell.  Your  cousin,  Babette 
and  myself  are  here." 

"Can  you  move?    Are  you  free?" 

"Quite  free." 

"Wait  a  moment,  then."  The  sound  of  slitting 
hide  was  heard  once  more,  then  came  the  corporal's 
voice  again,  "You  must  slip  out  through  the  hole 
I  have  cut.  Quickly!  There,  is>  not  a  moment 
to  lose." 

Joy  felt  herself  propelled  forward  and  thrust 
through  the  opening  which  the  corporal  had  cut, 
and  whilst  another  pair  of  hands  guided  her,  caught 
Dick  Bracknell's  whisper,  "Now —  Miss  La 
Fargel" 

Babette  slipped  out,  and  two  seconds  later  Dick 
Bracknell  followed. 

"This  way,"  said  the  corporal  quickly.  "As 
silently  as  you  can." 

[266] 


PRISONERS 

He  led  the  way  through  the  darkness  to  the  river 
bank,  and  as  they  began  to  descend  he  whispered 
to  Joy— 

"Your  boy  Jim,  and  my  man  Sibou,  are  waiting 
for  us  with  the  dogs,  a  little  way  off." 

"Then  Jim  is  safe?" 

"Yes,  he  found  me,  and  told  me  what  had  hap- 
pened to By  George,  listen!" 

An  ear-splitting  yell  sounded  from  the  direction 
of  the  encampment.  It  was  followed  by  another, 
and  that  by  a  great  clamour. 

"They  have  discovered  our  escape,"  said  Dick 
Bracknell  grimly.  "Hurry!  where  are  you  taking 
us,  Roger?  Have  you  a  rifle?" 

"Yes!     I  have  a  rifle " 

"Then  give  it  me.  Listen  to  that!  The  hunt 
is  up.  Give  me  the  gun.  I'll  hold  the  pass." 

As  he  spoke  he  laughed  a  laugh  that  sounded 
harshly  in  the  night,  then  broke  off.  "Great 
Scott!  They're  in  front  of  us  already!  Look 
there  1" 

The  dark  figures  had  appeared  on  the  snow  in 
front,  but  the  corporal  .quickly  dispelled  the  fears 
their  appearance  had  awakened. 

"My  man,  and  the  boy  Jim!  Hurry!  Those 
beggars  behind  are  following  fast." 

Dick  Bracknell  looked  round.  Against  the  red 
glare  of  the  great  camp  fire  half  a  score  of  dark 
figures  showed  plainly.  They  were  running  towards 
the  fugitives.  An  exultant  yell  told  the  latter  that 
they  had  been  seen. 

"For  God's  sake,  give  me  the  rifle,  and  get  the 

[267] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

girls  away,  Roger,  old  man.  I'm  crocked,  and  can't 
travel  fast,  but  I  can  hold  those  devils  back." 

"But—  but  -  " 

"Can't  you  see  this  is  my  chance  of  doing  the 
decent  thing?  For  God's  sake  don't  deny  me, 
man!" 

Roger  Bracknell  looked  into  his  cousin's  haggard 
face,  and  understood.  Silently  he  put  his  rifle  into 
his  cousin's  hand,  and  unbuckling  his  bandolier, 
threw  it  on  him. 

"Thanks,  old  man!     Thanks,  awfully!" 

"I'll  send  my  man  to  back  you,  and  when  I've 
started  the  girls  I'll  return  myself." 

"No!"  replied  Dick  Bracknell.  "You  go  with 
them.  You  must!  It's  necessary."  He  lifted  the 
rifle  as  he  spoke  and  sighting  at  the  foremost  of  the 
pursuers  pulled  the  trigger. 

"One  !"  he  said  exultantly,  as  one  of  the  running 
shadows  toppled  into  the  snow.  "The  beggars 
aren't  thinking  of  the  light  behind  them.  .  .  . 
Go!"  he  said  again.  "Go  with  the  girls  and  send 
your  man.  Let  me  play  the  hero  for  once.  .  .  . 
Man!"  he  blazed  suddenly,  "can't  you  see  it  is  all 
that  is  left  to  me." 

"Yes,"  replied  his  cousin,  "I  can  see  it,  and  I'll 
go.  But  you  must  promise  me  that  you  won't  stay 
longer  than  -  " 

The  rifle  cracked  again,  and  then  Dick  Bracknell 
replied.  "I'll  promise  anything  you  like  if  you'll 
only  go  and  get  Joy  away." 

Then,  very  reluctantly,  Corporal  Bracknell  went. 


[268] 


"'I    "V  ICK  insisted,"  explained  Corporal  Brack- 
1    nell,  as  with  Joy  and  her  foster-sister  and 

JL^  the  boy  Jim  he  fled  down  the  river.  "I 
could  see  he  wanted  the  post  of  danger — and  I 
could  not  refuse.  Sibou  is  with  him,  and  I  think 
they  will  hold  the  pursuit." 

For  a  moment  Joy  did  not  speak.  She  was 
thinking  of  the  consideration  Dick  Bracknell  had 
shown  to  her  during  the  last  two  days,  and  under- 
stood quite  well  that  now  he  was  endeavouring  to 
atone  for  the  wrong  he  had  once  done  her.  Pity 
surged  in  her  heart  as  she  thought  of  him  weak  and 
ill,  holding  back  a  horde  of  savage  men,  pity  and 
gratitude,  but  no  warmer  emotion,  for  Dick  Brack- 
nell had  killed  all  possibility  of  that  in  that  moment 
at  Alcombe,  when,  on  her  marriage  morning  she 
had  made  that  startling  discovery  of  his  perfidy. 

"Do  you  think  that — that  Dick  will  get  away 
also?"  she  asked  at  last. 

"I  hope  so,"  the  corporal  answered  evasively. 
"I  made  him  promise  not  to  stay  too  long.  But 
he  is  a  sick  man  and  in  the  mood  for  anything.  I 
believed  he  rejoiced  at  the  prospect  of  a  fight 

against  odds.    It  is  not  surprising  and Listen ! 

There  they  go   again.     They  were  both  together 
that  time." 

[269] 


From  time  to  time  as  they  raced  hot-foot  down 
the  trail  the  reports  of  rifles  reached  them,  and 
they  knew  that  the  fight  was  still  proceeding,  and 
that  the  two  defenders  were  holding  their  own. 
Once  when  the  interval  between  the  shots  was 
especially  long,  Corporal  Bracknell's  face  grew  very 
thoughtful,  and  so  absorbed  and  intent  was  he  that 
Joy  addressed  a  question  to  him  twice  before  he 
heard  her. 

"Corporal  Bracknell,  do  you  think  that  Dick  can 
recover  from  his  sickness?" 

"I  am  afraid  not,"  replied  the  corporal  slowly, 
then  gave  an  ejaculation  as  the  distant  report  of  a 
rifle  broke  the  silence  behind  them.  "Good! 
They're  still  keeping  it  up." 

"Why  do  you  think  that?"  she  asked. 

"Because  I  have  seen  other  men  like  it.  I  have 
never  known  one  to  recover." 

"Do  ...  do  you  think  Dick  knows?" 

"Yes,"  he  answered  quietly.     "I  am  sure  of  it!" 

"It  is  very  pitiful,"  she  said.  "He  is  not  all 
bad " 

"He  is  very  far  from  being  that,"  interrupted 
the  corporal. 

"He  might  have  made  good,  even  yet,  if  he  were 
not  so  sick." 

"Perhaps  he  is  making  good,"  replied  the  cor- 
poral gently. 

"Yes,"  she  answered  simply.  "I  think  he  is  try- 
ing. In  spite  of  the  past  I  shall  be  in  his  debt. 
Ah!  What  is  that?" 

There  had  been  a  sudden  increase  of  clamour 
behind  them.  Distant  yells  were  sounding,  and  the 

[270] 


THE  PRODIGAL  MAKES  GOOD 

two  rifles  were  firing  in  rapid  succession.  For 
perhaps  a  minute  and  a  half  this  went  on,  then 
came  silence,  followed  by  a  single  shot,  and  that 
again  by  a  silence  which  remained  unbroken. 
Corporal  Bracknell  stopped  irresolutely. 

"What  d,0  y°u  think?"  Joy  whispered. 

"I  think  it  is  the  end  one  way  or  the  other," 
was  the  reply.  "The  last  yell  sounded  as  if  the 
Jndians  were  charging.  In  that  case,  unless  the 
rush  was  stopped " 

"Dick  and  your  man  are  dead?" 

"Something  of  that  kind.  I  think  I  must  go 
back,  and  try  and  learn  what  has  happened.  There 
is  nothing  else  for  it.  I  simply  can't  desert  them 
without  knowing  what  has  befallen.  You  keep  right 
on  until  you  reach  the  main  river — I  will  not  be 
longer  than  necessary." 

"We  shall  wait  at  the  fork,"  she  answered 
quickly. 

"But " 

"We  shall  wait,"  she  repeated  resolutely,  and 
taking  a  rifle  from  one  of  the  sleds,  she  handed  it  to 
him. 

"You  may  need  it,"  she  said  quietly.  "And  we 
have  one  left  yet." 

He  did  not'  speak,  but  nodding  his  thanks,  turned 
in  the  tracks,  and  proceeded  up  river  once  more. 
He  went  swiftly  but  cautiously,  and  after  travelling 
half  an  hour,  caught  sight  of  a  lumpy  shadow  com- 
ing down  the  river.  Hastily  he  took  refuge  against 
the  bank,  and  waited  with  his  rifle  ready.  The 
shadow  drew  nearer,  and  then  he  perceived  that  it 
was  made  up  of  two  men,  one-  riding  on  the  back  of 


JHE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

the  other.     At  the  same  time  he  caught  the  sound 
of  a  protesting  voice — 

"It's  not  worth  while,  old  horse.-  Put  me  down 
and  quit.  They  say " 

A  moment  later  Roger  Bracknell  was  running 
towards  them. 

"Dick!  Dick!"  he  cried  gladly. 

"Where  .  .  .  where  .  .  .  are  the  girls  .  .  .  Joy?" 
asked  his  cousin  in  a  voice  that  sounded  harsh. 

"They  are  all  right.     They  are  well  in  front!" 

"Good!"  There  was  a  note  of  relief  in  Dick 
Bracknell's  voice,  as  he  spoke,  then  he  gave  a 
little  laugh.  "Behold  the  victors !  Roger,  my  son, 
it  was  topping.  We  stood  a  charge  and  .  .  .  and 
cleared  the  board.  It  was  gorgeous." 

He  laughed  weakly,  and  his  cousin  looked  at 
him  anxiously. 

"But  you  are  hurt,  Dick,  old  man?" 

"Plugged  .  .  .  with  an  arrow  ...  in  the  ribs. 
Sibou's  all  right,  though.  And  I  tried  to  make 
him  .  .  .  leave  me  ...  on  the  field  of  glory.  B — 
but  he's  a  mutinous  beggar." 

Weak  though  he  was,  there  was  a  reckless  gaiety 
in  his  manner,  which  almost  moved  the  corporal  to 
tears. 

"Dick,  don't  you  think  you  had  better  not  talk? 
It's  bound  to  try  you,  as  you  are.  When  we  get 
to  the  sleds  I  will  look  to  your  wound,  and " 

"Not  a  bit  of  use,  Roger,  my  boy!  I  know  it, 
you  know  it!  This  finishes  me.  It  was  a  matter 
of  weeks,  before;  now  it's  a  matter  of  hours.  .  .  . 
All  the  same  ...  I'd  like  to  ...  to  see  Joy, 

b-before " 

[272] 


THE  PRODIGAL  MAKES  GOOD 

"You  shall,  if  it's  to  be  done,"  said  his  cousin 
as  the  other's  voice  broke.  "I'll  take  turns  with 
Sibou.  Between  us  we'll  do  it,  somehow.  And  I 
might  as  well  take  part  of  my  share  now.  Sibou 
must  be  fagged." 

They  stopped  and  the  transfer  was  effected,  then 
as  they  resumed  their  way,  the  wounded  man  leaned 
over  his  cousin's  shoulder,  and  whispered — 

"Roger  you're  a  good  sort!" 

The  corporal  made  no  response,  and  Dick  Brack- 
nell  continued,  "You  know  that  Joy  was  up  here 
looking  for  you?" 

"The  boy,  Jim,  told  me  so.  Though  why  she 
should "  * 

"She  .  .  .  she  came  to  tell  you  that  .  .  .  Geoff 
was  dead  .  .  .  that  you  are  the  heir  of  Harrow 
Fell " 

"No!  No!"  broke  out  his  cousin  in  sharp 
protest. 

"Yes!  Yes!  It  is  so.  I've  been  out  of  it  since — 
oh,  for  years!  And  in  any  case  ...  I  shall  be 
out  of  it  ...  altogether  very  soon.  But  it  wasn't 
for  that  only  .  .  .  Joy  came.  She  came  up  here 
to  stop  you  from  killing  me  ...  knowing  the 
relation  between  us,  she  was  afraid  that  if  that  hap- 
pened, people  would  say  that  you  .  .  .  that  you. 
.  .  .  You  understand?" 

"Yes,  I  think  I  understand." 

"Such  a  possibility  was  rather  rot,  of  course,  but 
Joy  didn't  know  that,  and  she  knew  that  you  were 
after  me.  So — she's  pure  gold,  Joy  is." 

"Yes,"   agreed  the  corporal  simply. 

[273] 


JHE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"You'll  marry  her,  of  course,  and  go  to  ...  to 
the  Fell?" 

Roger  Bracknell  hesitated.  The  conversation 
was  inexpressibly  painful  to  him,  and  to  this  ques- 
tion he  did  not  know  what  answer  to  make.  His 
cousin  did  not  seem  to  notice  the  hesitation,  and  he 
did  not  wait  for  an  answer,  but  continued  in  a 
broken  way,  "There  have  been  Bracknells  at  the  Fell 
these  five  hundred  years.  .  .  .  And  Geoff's  gone, 
and  I'm  going,  but  you'll  .  .  .  keep  up  the  line. 
When  you've  a  boy,  Roger,  call  him  .  .  .  call  him 
Dick.  I'd  like  to  think  there'll  be  one  of  my  name 
who'll  be"  as  clean  and  straight  as  I've  been  crooked. 
Lord !  What  a  mess  a  man  can  make  of  life ! 
And  what  a  difference  it  would  have  made  ...  if 
only  I'd  gone  straight  at  the  fences.  But  would 
it?  .  .  .  Joy  would  never  have  married  me  ... 
she  never  loved  me,  but  you  have  her  heart!  Oh, 
it  is  so  ...  I'm  not  blind,  and,  Roger,  old  man, 
I'm  glad  it  will  be  you." 

After  that  he  was  silent  for  a  long  time,  to 
Roger's  unutterable  relief,  and  he  spoke  only  jest- 
ingly on  the  occasions  when  Sibou  and  the  corporal 
took  him  over  from  the  other,  and  at  last,  after  a 
weary  march,  they  reached  the  point  where  the 
stream  joined  the  main  river,  and  as  they  did  so 
a  figure  broke  from  the  bank  and  ran  towards  them. 
It  was  Joy. 

"You  are  all  here?"  she  cried.     "Safe?" 

"Safe!  Yes,"  laughed  Dick  weakly.  "But  a 
little  damaged." 

"What  is  it?"  she  asked,  turning  towards  the 
corporal. 

[274] 


THE  PRODIGAL  MAKES  GOOD 

"Dick  is  wounded,"  he  answered  gravely.  "I  am 
afraid  it  is  serious.  And  as  I  think  we  have  little 
to  fear  from  the  Indians  now,  it  will  perhaps  be 
best  if  we  cross  the  main  river  and  camp.  We  can 
put  him  upon  one  of  the  sleds " 

"Yes !  Yes  1"  she  cried,  and  a  moment  later  she 
had  turned  to  the  wounded  man,  and  was  talking  to 
him  in  a  low  voice. 

Roger  moved  away.  He  did  not  know  what  she 
was  saying  and  he  had  no  wish  to  know,  but  half 
an  hour  later  as  his  cousin  lay  by  a  fire  which  had 
been  lit,  he  saw  that  his  eyes  were  shining  with  a 
quiet  happiness. 

"Better,  Dick?"  he  inquired. 

"In  soul,  yes !"  was  the  answer. 

"I'm  glad  of  that,"  replied  the  corporal  simply. 

"It's  like  a  cleansing  to  have  a  good  woman's 
approval.  You  can't  know,  Roger,  old  boy.  You 
haven't  been  deep  in  the  mire — but  there  it  is." 

He  allowed  his  cousin  and  Joy  to  examine  his 
wound,  and  they  found  the  arrow  broken  off  in  his 
side.  The  corporal  looked  at  the  girl  and  shook 
his  head.  There  was  little  to  be  done,  except  draw 
out  the  arrow,  and  bandage  the  wound  as  well  as 
they  could,  and  when  that  was  done  the  injured 
man  was  visibly  weaker. 

Corporal  Bracknell  busied  himself  with  the  prep- 
aration of  a  meal,  leaving  Joy  and  his  cousin  to- 
gether, and  not  till  after  the  meal  when  Dick  was 
dozing  had  he  any  opportunity  of  further  speech 
with  Joy.  Then  walking  in  the  shadow  of  the  trees 
he  talked  with  her. 

"Dick  has  told  me  why  you  came,"   he  said, 

[275]  ' 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

going  straight  to  his  point.     "I  am  very  grateful." 

"I  was  afraid  that  there  might  be  trouble  between 
you,"  she  answered  frankly. 

"We  had  already  met  twice,  before  you  came," 
he  explained  quietly.  "On  the  first  occasion  Dick 
spared  my  life ;  and  on  the  second,  though  the  meet- 
ing began  stormily  enough,  we  parted  complete 
friends." 

"I  am  glad  of  that,  more  glad  than  I  can  tell." 

"Not  more  than  I  am.  But  there  are  things  I 
want  to  ask  you,  very  badly.  I  know  how  you 
came  to  go  to  Dick's  cabin,  but  I  do  not  know  who 
those  men  were  who  kept  both  Dick  and  you  there 
in  a  state  of  siege.  Have  you  any  idea?" 

As  he  asked  the  question  Joy  Gargrave's  face 
giew  very  thoughtful. 

"It  was  Dick's  man  who  fastened  the  door  on 
us.  That  was  part  of  a  plan  for  kidnapping  me, 
which  Dick  had  arranged,  and  at  first  I  thought  that 
he " 

"It  was  not  Joe.  We  found  him  shot,"  inter- 
rupted the  corporal. 

"I  do  not  think  it  was  he  now.  At  first  Dick 
was  inclined  to  that  idea,  and  then  he  thought  it 
might  be  my  boy,  Jim;  but  I  pointed  out  that  the 
latter  would  scarcely  attack  Babette,  and  she  was 
attacked  whilst  walking  outside  the  hut,  you  know." 

He  looked  at  her  and  saw  that  her  eyes  were  full 
of  trouble.  She  was  keeping  something  back,  and 
after  a  moment  he  pressed  her  for  the  truth. 

"You  have  suspicions,  Miss  Gargrave.  Tell  me 
exactly  what  you  think." 

"I  scarcely  like  to,"  was  the  reply.     "What  I 

[276] 


THE  PRODIGAL  MAKES  GOOD 

have  is  no  more  than  a  suspicion,  and  it  is  almost 
too  horrible  for  words." 

"Tell  me,"  he  urged  again. 

"I  will,"  she  broke  out  impulsively,  "and  God 
forgive  me  if  I  do  him  wrong!  I  think  my  cousin 
Adrian  was  responsible — Mr.  Rayner,  you  know, 
whom  you  met  at  North  Star." 

"I  thought  so." 

"You  thought  so?"  she  cried.  "Then  you  know 
he  was  up  here?" 

"I  did  not  know,  but  I  guessed.  I  was  on  his 
trail  when  I  met  your  boy  Jim." 

"And  he  was  on  yours,  I  am  sure,"  said  Joy 
quickly.  "He  followed  you  when  you  left  Dick's 
cabin.  I  think  he  meant  to  kill  you.  He  knew 
that  you  suspected  him  of  that  attack  on  Dick  at 
North  Star " 

"I  suspected  him  of  worse  things  than  that." 

"Yes,  I  know.  Dick  told  me.  Oh,  how  terrible 
it  is!" 

She  hid  her  face  in  her  hands  for  a  moment,  and 
then  as  she  lifted  it,  he  asked,  "Have  you  any 
idea  why  he  should  do  a  thing  like  that,  or  why  he 
should  make  an  attempt  upon  you?" 

"Yes,"  she  replied  in  a  shaking  voice.  "Babette, 
who  is  very  frank,  says  he  wants  my  money.  He 
would  have  married  me,  knowing  all  the  time  that 
I  was  married  to  Dick.  He  even  threatened  me 
when  I  would  not  accept  him,  and  events  have  com- 
pelled me  to  the  belief  that  Babette  is  right,  and 
that  he  will  allow  nothing  to  stand  in  his  way,  not 
even  my  life." 

Roger  Bracknell  nodded  his  head  thoughtfully. 

[277] 


JHE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"I  think  you  are  right,"  he  answered  slowly. 
"We  must  be  very  careful.  If  there  is  real  warrant 
for  our  suspicions,  then  Adrian  Rayner  will  be  a 
very  desperate  man " 

"I  am  sure  of  that,"  she  interjected  impulsively. 
"I  felt  it,  when  he  left  North  Star  on  our  arrival. 
Did  I  tell  you  that  he  was  there  when  we  came 
back?  No!  Well,  he  was,  and  I  ordered  him 
away,  and  as  soon  as  I  could  I  came  to  look  for 
you » 

"It  was  good  of  you  to  be  so  anxious  for  my 
welfare,"  he  broke  in  quickly. 

They  had  turned  and  were  walking  back  to  the 
fire,  and  in  the  light  it  shed  he  saw  her  face  grow 
suddenly  crimson.  She  looked  towards  the  recum- 
bent figure  of  Dick  Bracknell,  lying  towards  the 
fire,  then  back  again  to  himself. 

"That  was  but  natural,"  she  said  quietly.  "You 
were  working  for  me,  and  when  I  knew  that  a 
danger  unknown  to  you  threatened  you,  I  felt  that 
I  must  make  you  aware  of  it.  You  understand?" 

"Yes,"  he  answered  quietly.  "And  if  we  can 
only  meet  Adrian  Rayner  we  shall  be  able  to  prove 
or  disprove  all  that  we  suspect.  You  and  Babette 
and  myself  know  him  and  Sibou  knows  the  man 
who  was  responsible  for  your  father's  death.  If 
Adrian  Rayner  and  he  should  prove  to  be  the 
same,  then  the  matter  will  be  beyond  dispute." 

"Yes,"  she  agreed  slowly.  "Yes.  But  it  will 
be  very  terrible." 

They  approached  the  fire,  just  as  Dick  Bracknell 
moved  and  opened  his  eyes.  He  looked  at  Joy, 
and  she,  reading  the  unspoken  request  in  his  eyes, 
went  and  seated  herself  by  his  side. 

[278] 


CHAPTER  XXV 
A  SNOW-BLIND  MAN 

WHEN  the  next  day  dawned,  a  soft 
warm  day,  holding  in  it  all  the  promise 
of  the  Northland  spring,  Dick  Bracknell 
was  in  no  condition  to  travel.  He  was  clearly 
much  weaker,  and  at  times  he  lapsed  into  delirium 
during  which  the  hearts  of  two  of  those  with  him 
were  wrung.  The  feverish  babble  was  of  nothing 
relating  to  his  life  in  the  North,  but  about  his  boy- 
hood at  Harrow  Fell,  and  of  his  first  meeting  with 
Joy.  More  than  once  Joy  was  unable  to  restrain 
her  tears,  and  as  the  day  wore  on,  it  was  evident 
that  the  strain  was  telling  upon  her. 

Several  times  Roger  Bracknell  begged  her  to 
leave  the  sick  man  and  rest,  but  she  shook  her  head. 

"No,"  she  whispered  on  the  last  occasion. 
"No!  Look  at  him.  It  will  not  be  very  long.  I 

think  I  should  like  to  be  with  him,  when — when 

It  will  help  him,  you  know,"  she  concluded  hastily. 

"Yea,"  he  admitted,  "you  are  quite  right.  He 
told  me  in  that  lucid  interval  that  these  moments 
with  you  by  his  side  were  among  the  happiest  in  his 
life." 

She  looked  down  at  the  drawn  face,  her  eyes 
flooding  with  sudden  tears.  She  did  not  love  him, 
but  there  was  a  great  pity  in  her  heart  for  the  way- 
ward man  whose  life  had  taken  the  wrong  turn, 

[279] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

and  whose  nature  as  she  now  knew  was  as  full  of 
generous  good  as  of  desperate  evil.  She  prayed 
for  him  silently,  and  leaving  her  with  bowed  head, 
Roger  Bracknell  walked  slowly  away. 

At  the  outer  edge  of  the  camp  he  met  Sibou. 
The  latter  waved  a  hand  towards  the  river,  on  the 
frozen  surface  of  which  tiny  streams  of  water  were 
beginning  to  run. 

"It  is  the  spring,"  he  said.  "If  we  do  not  leave 
today  the  ice  may  not  hold." 

"We  cannot  leave  today,   Sibou." 

"No,"  replied  the  Indian.  "We  wait  for  death. 
Is  it  not  so?" 

"It  is  so!"  agreed  the  corporal. 

"And  tomorrow  comes  the  spring  and  new  life," 
said  the  Indian  thoughtfully.  "That  is  the  way, 
always  death  on  the  heels  of  life,  and  life  on  the 
heels  of  death."  He  jerked  his  head  towards  the 
camp.  "The  woman  nurses  the  man  who  dies, 
what  is  she  to  him?" 

"She  is  his  wife." 

"But  she  loves  him  not.  I  have  watched  her,  I 
have  seen  the  light  in  her  eyes."  He  broke  off 
abruptly,  and  again  waved  his  hand  towards  the 
river.  "But  the  spring  comes,  and  with  the  spring 
comes  life  and  the  kindling  of  the  heart." 

Roger  Bracknell  looked  towards  the  river.  He 
knew  that  the  Indian's  words  were  true,  but  he 
offered  no  comment  on  them.  Instead  he  watched 
the  water  running  on  the  ice,  and  after  a  minute  he 
asked  abruptly,  "How  long  will  the  ice  hold, 
Sibou?" 

The  Indian  shook  iiis  head. 
[280] 


A  SNOW-BLIND  MAN 

"That  is  not  to  be  told."  He  pointed  across  the 
river  to  where  a  tributary  stream  flowed  into  the 
main  river.  "The  water  comes  down  there  and 
adds  to  the  strength  of  this.  It  may  break  the  ice 
here,  and  spread  over  the  surface.  Listen." 

The  corporal  listened.  The  air  was  full  of  an 
indescribable  sound,  a  moaning  and  growling;, 
quite  different  to  the  sound  of  the  soft  wind  in  the 
trees. 

"Already  the  water  fights  for  the  mastery,"  said 
Sibou,  "and  tomorrow  it  may  have  won." 

"No — today!"  cried  the  corpcfral  quickly,  as 
there  came  a  sudden  crash  far  out  in  front,  and  the 
next  moment  a  gaping  fissure  showed  in  the  ice. 

"Yes,  today!"  assented  the.  Indian  as  he 
watched.  "That  is  the  first,  and  there  will  be 
others.  The  break  up  has  come.  The  spring  has 
arrived." 

A  cry  from  the  camp  startled  them,  and  divin- 
ing what  had  happened,  the  white  man  began  to 
run.  When  he  reached  the  fire  he  found  Joy 
standing  by  his  cousin.  Her  eyes  were  burning  with 
tears.  He  looked  at  her,  and  as  their  eyes  met, 
she  answered  the  question  in  his. 

"Yes,"  she  said,  "a  moment  ago.  He  knew  me 
again  at  the  last." 

Roger  Bracknell  took  a  step  forward,  and 
looked  into  the  still  face  of  his  cousin.  To  him  it 
seemed  extraordinarily  peaceful,  and  the  half- 
smile  on  the  lips  caught  and  held  by  death  told  its 
own  story. 

"He  was  happy  in  his  death,"  he  said,  "happier 
than  in  life.-  Poor  old  Dick!" 

[281] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

He  turned  aw'ay,  leaving  Joy  alone  with  the 
dead  for  a  little  while.  He  knew  that  his  cousin's 
death  meant  release  for  her,  and  for  himself  also, 
since  it  would  remove  the  bands  of  silence  from 
him.  But  in  that  moment  he  refused  to  think  of 
that  aspect  of  the  matter,  and  as  with  the  help  of 
Sibou  he  bent  a  couple  of  young  spruces,  that  his 
cousin's  body  might  have  the  aerial  sepulchre 
practised  by  the  Northern  tribes,  he  reflected  how 
much  of  good  there  was  in  Dick,  and  how  many 
such  there  are  who  having  taken  the  wrong  turn 
miss  the  full  purpose  of  life. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  dead  man  was  lashed  to 
the  young  trees  which  were  released,  carrying  the 
body  high  in  the  air.  Such  portions  of  the  burial 
service  as  Roger  could  remember  were  recited, 
and  then  with  Joy,  he  turned  towards  the  camp. 

"We  will  start  in  an  hour,  if  you  like,"  he  said. 
"The  ice  is  not  very  good,  but  it  will  be  worse 
tomorrow,  and  we  can  get  some  way  towards 
Chief  Louis'  camp.  Once  there,  ice  or  no  ice  will 
not  matter.  We  shall  be  able  to  get  canoes." 

"Yes,"  she  said,  "Yes,  in  an  hour.  There  is  no 
reason  why  we  should  linger  here  now." 

They  started  before  the  hour  was  out;  and 
travelled  hard  until  the  edge  of  dark,  avoiding 
fissures  which  were  ever  increasing,  and  pitched 
camp  several  miles  away  from  their  last  resting- 
place.  In  the  night  the  corporal  wa&  awakened 
by  a  crash  somewhere  on  the  river  in  front,  and 
in  the  morning  he  knew  that  sled-travelling  was 
over  till  the  Northland  winter  should  once  more 
bind  the  rivers.  A  stream  of  water  was  flowing 

[282] 


A  SNOW-BLIND  MAN 

on  the  surface  of  the  ice.  There  were  fissures 
everywhere,  and  a  distant  rumble  told  him  that 
somewhere  the  ice  was  breaking  up.  Sibou  came 
and  joined  him,  and  together  they  looked  across 
the  river.  Something  caught  the  Indian's  keener 
eyes,  something  moving.  He  pointed  it  out  to 
Bracknell. 

"There  is  a  man  there.  He  is  coming  this 
way!"  The  corporal  looked  intently  for  a  mo- 
ment, then  he  agreed.  "Yes,  it  is  a  man.  He  is 
alone.  He  has  no  dogs.'" 

"Maybe  they  are  lost,"  said  the  Indian. 

"He  will  never  get  across,"  commented  Brack- 
nell,  "and  we  cannot  warn  him.  He  will  have  to 
return." 

The  Indian  shaded  his  eyes  against  the  rising 
sun  and  watched,  then  he  said,  "He  walks 
strangely." 

Bracknell  himself  thought  so.  The  man,  who- 
ever he  was,  seemed  to  be  making  an  erratic  course, 
and  more  than  once  just  skirted  a  fissure.  Twenty 
minutes  passed  and  then  the  two  were  joined  by 
Joy  and  her  foster-sister.  "What  are  you  watch- 
ing?" asked  Joy. 

The  corporal  pointed  to  the  man,  now  little 
more  than  a  hundred  yards  away.  Joy  looked  and 
cried  out,  and  just  at  that  moment  Sibou  started. 

"The  man  is  blind,"  he  said.  "See  how  he 
walks,  hands  in  front  groping  for  the  way. 
Behold!  He  did  not  see  the  ice." 

The  stranger,  whoever  he  was,  had  stumbled 
over  a  cake  of  ice  thrown  out  on  the  surface,  and 
as  he  picked  himself  up,  he  took  his  next  step  into 

[283] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

a  stream  running  fast  over  the  yielding  surface. 
He  withdrew  the  foot  instantly  and  half  turned 
to  try  another  course. 

"It  is  the  snow-blindness,"  said  Sibou.  "He 
cannot  see.  He  only  feels,  and  there  is  danger 
everywhere  for  him." 

"Oh,"  cried  Joy,  "can  nothing  be  done?" 

"Something  can  be  tried,"  answered  the  cor- 
poral, beginning  to  get  down  the  bank. 

Sibou  followed  him,  and  they  moved  towards  the 
blinded  man  in  imminent  risk  of  their  lives.  The 
ice  seemed  to  be  in  movement  everywhere,  and  the 
noise  out  on  the  river  was  increasing.  Even  as 
they  stepped  on  the  ice,  it  broke  loose  from  the 
bank,  and  the  rescuers  felt  it  shake  beneath  their 
feet.  Cracks  appeared  through  which  the  water 
spurted,  but  they  moved  forward,  for  both  were 
aware  that  the  ice  beneath  them  might  be  thrown 
into  the  air  as  by  some  living  monster  and  them- 
selves thrown  into  the  swirling  water. 

A  providence  seemed  to  watch  over  the  blind 
man.  He  had  turned  again  and  now  was  running 
towards  them.  With  a  luck  that  was  almost  un- 
canny he  passed  a  couple  of  yawning  cavities  from 
which  the  water  welled,  and  once,  he  put  his  foot  on 
emptiness,  he  leaped  from  the  other  foot,  and 
crossed  the  danger  before  him  at  a  bound.  They 
were  but  fifteen  yards  apart,  when  suddenly  Sibou 
stood  still  and  gripped  his  companion's  arm. 

"Behold!"  he  said  quickly.  "The  man  who 
was  with  me  when  the  trail  was  blown  up  before 
Mr.  Gargrave." 

Roger  Bracknell  also  stood  still,  and  looked  at 

[284] 


A  SNOW-BLIND  MAN 

the  figure  shambling  towards1  them.  There'  was 
a  distraught  look  on  the  man's  face,  a  madness  of 
fear  that  convulsed  it,  but  in  spite  of  that  Roger 
Bracknell  recognized  it.  It  was  the  face  of  Adrian 
Rayner. 

Whilst  he  stood  there,  stunned,  and  held  inactive 
by  the  recognition,  there  was  a  sound  of  splintering 
at  the  corporal's  feet,  and  instinctively  both  he 
and  Sibou  leaped  backward.  The  ice  parted,  and 
a  little  lane  of  turgid  water  appeared  between  them 
and  the  snow-blind  man.  The  latter  still  came  on. 
Roger  Bracknell  watched  him  like  a  man  hypno- 
tized; but  when  Rayner  had  almost  reached  the 
place  where  the  fracture  had  occurred,  he  cried 
out  suddenly,  in  agonized  warning — 

"Look  out,  Rayner!    For  God's  sake,  look  out!" 

His  cry  must  have  been  h'eard  by  Rayner,  for  the 
latter  halted  suddenly,  and  threw  up  his  arm  as  if 
to  ward  off  a  blow.  Then  he  gave  a  great  cry  of 
fear,  and  turning  suddenly  began  to  run  away  from 
the  bank.  He  ran  fast,  helped  by  some  great  im- 
pulse of  fear,  but  he  ran  only  a  little  way.  A 
stretch  of  open  water  appeared  in  the  line  he  fol- 
lowed, and  unconscious  of  its  existence,  he  ran 
straight  into  it.  They  saw  the  plunge,  and 
watched  painfully.  A  moment  later  his  head  ap- 
peared above  tha  water,  and  disappeared  again, 
as  the  rush  of  water  hurled  him  forward.  There 
was  no  further  sign  of  him,  and  as  delay  was 
dangerous  both  of  them  turned  and  raced  for  the 
bank. 

As  they  gained  it,  the  corporal  saw  a  look  of 
horror  on  Joy  Gargrave's  face. 

[285] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

"Who  was  the  man?"  she  asked.  "I  seemed  to 
recognize  something  about  him." 

"It  was  Adrian  Rayner." 

"Ah,  I  guessed  it  I  I  knew  it  I  You  recognized 
him  when  you  stopped?" 

"Sibou  recognized  him  first,"1  replied  the  cor- 
poral meaningly. 

"Sibou!  I  did  not  know  that  he Oh,  I 

remember.  He  was  with  the  maru  who  was  respon- 
sible for  my  father's  death." 

"Yes,   and  Adrian   Rayner  was  the  man." 

Joy  was  silent  for  a  moment,  her  eyes  fixed  on 
the  place  where  her  cousin  had  met  his  death. 
There  was  an  enigmatic  look  in  them  which  made 
Roger  Bracknell  wonder.  Then  she  spoke'  again. 

"You  halted  when  you  recognized  him?  You 
would  not  help  him?" 

"It  was  not  that,"  he  answered  quickly.  "It 
was  just  amazement  that  held  me  for  a  minute, 
amazement  and  a  feeling  of  horror  that  my  sus- 
picions were  proved  right,  though  for  weeks  I  have 
been  sure  that  Adrian  Rayner  was  the  guilty  man. 
He  would  have  stepped  into  open  water  if  I  had  not 
suddenly  cried  out.  I  think  he  heard  me,  I  think 
he  may  have  recognized  my  voice.  He  may  have 
been  startled,  though  I  think  he  was  afraid  at  hear- 
ing his  name  called  out  when  he  was  without  knowl- 
edge that  any  one  was  near.  As  you  saw  he  turned 
and  ran,  but  I  saw  his  face  as  he  stopped  at  my 
hail,  and  it  was  stark  with  fear." 

After  a  few  seconds  the  girl  spoke  again,  her 
eyes  still  on  the  tumult  of  the  river. 

"He  was  alone,"  she  said,  "Snow-blind!  I 
[286] 


A  SNOW-BLIND  MAN 

wonder    how    that    came    about.     He    had    two 
Indians  with  him  when  he  started." 

"He  may  have  lost  them,  have  wandered  from 
the  camp  or  something  of  that  sort.  Or  they  may 
have  deserted  him,  carrying  away  the  outfit.  In 
any  case  what  has  happened,  terrible  as  it  is,  is 
probably  for  the  best.  Rayner's  death  saves  him 
a  trial  for  murder,  and  the  past  need  not  be  raked 
up." 

Joy  nodded,  and  looked  once  more  to  where  the 
broken  floes  were  grinding  each  other  in  the  waters 
which  had  engulfed  the  guilty  man. 

"It  is  the  judgment  of  God." 

***** 

It  was  five  and  a  half  months-  later  when  Roger 
Bracknell,  fresh  from  England,  walked  up  the 
road  from  the  river  leading  to  North  Star  Lodge. 
There  was  a  touch  of  frost  in  the  air,  and  already 
the  wild  geese  were  moving  southward,  and  he 
heard  their  honk!  honk!  as  they  flew  over  his  head 
for  the  warmer  lands  of  the  South,  but  he  never  so 
much  as  lifted  his  eyes  to  look  at  them.  His  gaze 
was  fixed  on  the  place  where  the  road  turned, 
eagerly  expectant,  and  from  behind  came  the  voy- 
ageurs'  song  as  his  men  unpacked  the  boat. 

"What  is  there  like  to  the  laughing  star, 
Far  up  from  the  lilac  tree? 
A  face  that's  brighter  and  finer  far, 
It  laughs  and  it  shines,  ci,  ci! — 

The  honk  of  the  geese  overhead  for  a  moment 
drowned  the  words,  but  they  reached  him  again  a 
moment  later. 

[287] 


" — Till  I  go  forth  and  bring  it  Home, 
And  house  it  within  my  door — 
Row  along,  row  along  home,  ci,  ci!" 

Then  he  turned  the  corner  of  the  road.  A  girl 
was  hurrying  between  the  long  lines  of  trees.  It 
was  Joy  Gargrave.  There  was  no  laughter  on 
her  face,  but  the  blood  was  warm  in  it,  and  her  eyes 
were  shining. 

"Oh,  my  dear!"  she  said,  half  sobbing  with 
gladness  as  he  took  her  in  his  arms. 

"At  last,"  he  whispered,  then  together  they 
turned  and  walked  towards  the  lodge. 

"Babette?"  he  inquired. 

"She  is  well!"  Then  Joy  laughed  gaily.  "She 
had  the  good  sense  to  remain  indoors.  You  know 
she  is  going  to  be  married." 

"No?" 

"It  has  been  arranged  a  long  time,  before  ever 
you  came  to  North  Star,  but  the  little  minx  only 
told  me  the  other  day,  when  she  knew  that  you 
were  really  coming  back." 

"Who  is  the  man?" 

"An  American  engineer,  James  Sherlock.  He 
came  here  once  or  twice  in  the  old  days  when  my 
father  was  alive.  He  is  a  very  fine  man." 

"I  hope  she  will  be  happy." 

"There  is  no  doubt  of  that,"  answered  Joy,  "but 
she  will  not  be  as  happy  as  we  shall.  But  what 
news  is  there  from  England?  My  uncle?" 

Roger  Bracknell's  face  grew  a  little  graver  as  he 
looked  at  her,  then  he  said  quietly,  "I  think  I  had 
better  tell  you  at  once,  and  dismiss  the  unpleasant- 

[288] 


A  SNOW-BLIND  MAN 

ness  once  and  for  all.  ...  I  told  him  of  his  son's 
death,  without  telling  him  all  that  lay  behind  it. 
It  was  a  great  shock  to  him — and  for  a  little  time 
he  broke  down  completely.  He  seemed  to  regard 
it  as  in  some  way  a  judgment  on  himself,  and  he 
made  a  confession  to  me." 

"A  confession!"  Joy  stopped  and  looked  at  him 
with  eyes  that  were  wide  with  fear.  "You  do  not 
mean  that  he  knew  that  Adrian  intended " 

"He  knew  nothing,  not  even  of  your  marriage 
with  Dick,  and  even  now  he  does  not  know  that 
your  father's  death  was  anything  but  accidental. 
He  was,  I  could  tell,  in  complete  ignorance  of  the 
real  object  of  his  son's  journey  here,  and  thought 
it  had  to  do  with  his  confessed  infatuation  for  you. 
The  confession'  he  made  had  to  do  with  his  financial 
affairs.  It  appears  that  he  has  speculated  rashly, 
that  his  affairs  have  become  very  much  involved, 
and  that  absolute  control  of  your  money  was 
needed  to  save  him." 

"I  gave  it,"  cried  Joy. 

"Yes!  and  it  did  save  him.  Some  of  his  ven- 
tures turned  out  very  well  after  all,  but  that  mat- 
ters nothing  now.  Adrian  was  the  apple  of  his 
eye,  and  his  loss,  as  I  said,  he  regarded  as  a  per- 
sonal judgment  on  himself  as  he  had  first  sent 
Adrian  to  North  Star  in  the  hope  that  the  match 
he  desired  would  come  to  pass." 

"But  he  did  not  know  of  Dick.  He  was  not 
party  to  my  cousin's  schemes " 

"I  am  sure  he  was  in  absolute  ignorance." 

"Thank  God!  He  was  always  kind  to  me,  and 
I  could  not  bear  to  think  that  he  was  in  my  cousin's 

[289] 


THE  LADY  OF  NORTH  STAR 

confidence.  He  wanted  me  to  marry  Adrian,  but 
he  thought  that  I  was  free." 

"He  is  going  out  of  business,  and  I  have  ar- 
ranged with  him  to  transfer  your  affairs  to  a  firm 
that  manages  the  Harrow  Fell  estates.  When  we 
go  to  England " 

"When  will  that  be?"  asked  Joy  quickly. 

Roger  Bracknell  smiled.  "There  is  no  hurry. 
I  thought  I  might  winter  up  here — that  is  if  you  are 
agreeable." 

She  looked  at  him  reproachfully.     "You  know 

»> 

"Wait!  You  have  not  heard  everything,  Joy! 
Down  the  river  I  passed  the  missionary  priest, 
Father  Doherty.  He  is  going  North — racing  the 
winter.  He  knows  he  has  already  lost  the  race, 
and  that  he  will  have  to  finish  his  journey  on  the 
ice.  I  ventured  to  persuade  him  to  break  the 
journey  at  the  Lodge,  and  he  agreed  to  do  so.  It 
was  very  audacious  of  me " 

"Why  should  it  be  audacious?  Travellers  are 
always  welcome  at  North  Star." 

"Well,"  he  answered  smilingly,  "he  is  a  priest 
you  know." 

For  a  couple  of  seconds  she  looked  at  him 
wonderingly,  then  comprehension  came  to  her,  and 
a  blush  mantled  her  face. 

"It  was  very  audacious  of  you,"  she  said. 
"Very!  But— but " 

"But  what?"  he  asked. 

"I  am  glad  that — that " 

"Yes?" 

"That  Father  Doherty  is  a  priest." 
[290] 


A  SNOW-BLIND  MAN 

She  laughed  with  gladness  as  he  stooped  to  kiss 
her;  and  when  they  resumed  their  way,  she  asked, 
"When  will  he  arrive?" 

"Tomorrow,  I  think." 

"So  soon?" 

"No — so  long!"  he  corrected  smilingly. 

"And  we  shall  have  a  winter  honeymoon  at 
North  Star?" 

"Yes !" 

"That,"  she  said,  "will  be  delightful!" 

And  as  she  spoke,  through  the  trees  the  Lodge 
appeared  in  sight,  and  to  them  drifted  a  fragment 
of  the  boatman's  song — 

" — Till  I  go  forth  and  bring  it  home, 
And  enter  and  close  my  door — 
Row  along,  row  along  home,  ci,  ci!" 


THE  END 


[291] 


052  656 


